Kobe Day: Chinese fans pay tribute to NBA legend Bryant on 45th birthday, 3 years after death
- Chinese fans flooded social media to commemorate what would have been basketball icon’s 45th birthday on Wednesday
- Fan also honour ‘Kobe Day’ on Thursday – ‘you have never left, you have always been in our hearts,’ one says
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 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 had been 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 his 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.