More than three years after basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s death, fans in China honoured him on what would have been his 45th birthday – as well as “Kobe Day”, which is remembered in his honour.
The Los Angeles Lakers icon’s died with his daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California in January 2020.
His death was the most-searched topic on the Chinese social media platform Weibo that day, racking up over 3 billion views.
A five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist, Bryant one of the most popular athletes in China with regular visits to the country to meet his fans and an active presence on Weibo.
Bryant also played charity games in China and set up his own charitable organisation – the Kobe Bryant China Fund – which was backed by the government.
Following Kobe’s retirement from the NBA in 2016, Los Angeles and Orange County in California designated August 24 as Kobe Bryant Day, as the numbers eight and 24 match the numbers on his jerseys during his NBA career.
“Kobe Bryant Day” – also called “Black Mamba Day”, in tribute to his nickname – fittingly follows the Hall of Famer’s birthday, which was August 23.
Fans paid tribute to the superstar on Weibo on Wednesday and Thursday, with the topic trending high after accumulating hundreds of thousands of views.
Many fans wished him a happy 45th birthday, while others posted video highlights of his 20-year NBA career.
“You have never left, you have always been in our hearts,” one fan wrote.
“The purple golden flowers all over the mountains and plains look back and don’t see the Black Mamba 824,” another wrote.
The Los Angeles Lakers posted on their official Weibo account as well, saying “Kobe is a legend, there is no doubt about it. Everyone sees Kobe differently” – and in a separate post, added “Mamba spirit, the heart of the champion”.
Even the NBA posted photos of a Kobe-inspired mobile phone wallpaper. “If there is a sound missing, the sound of wiping the net from heaven seems to be telling you to keep working hard,” the post read.
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