China’s Kobe Love Really Isn’t That Confusing

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↵The Chinese love Kobe Bryant. Unconditionally, and far more than they do LeBron James, who even does stuff like appear in martial arts-themed commercials. You know, paying respect to Asian culture the same way the RZA—who did the soundtrack—does.↵The Denver Post has noticed this, and is somewhere between perplexed and outraged over the matter:↵↵⇥How could a billion Chinese be so wrong?↵⇥
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↵⇥Not to question the taste of a country that loves everything American, from quarter-pound cheeseburgers to classic punk rock, but this 24/7, camera-clicking, name-chanting worship of Bryant by the local masses at the Olympics might be the strangest foreign love affair with a U.S. pop icon since the French decided Jerry Lewis was a comic genius.↵⇥
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↵⇥Sure, the man can hoop. But he’s not exactly the finest example of American virtue. So why does China go absolutely gaga for Kobe?↵↵

Kobe himself has no explanation, and The Post says nothing but “Nike.” Maybe they should’ve tried actually asking someone with a good feel for hoops culture in China, like FreeDarko commenter T.:↵↵⇥As to the Kobe love, it’s not that difficult. Combine a populace that really doesn’t care that much about the personal life (and indiscretions or worse) with the best player in the game with a legendary reputation for struggle/hard work (in general the Chinese fans prefer players who struggle to get their points - Iverson, KB24) to those who rely on gifts of strength and power (LBJ, Diesel) and viola! You get the most popular player in the Middle Kingdom. To say “it’s Nike” is to miss the point - otherwise, King James would be just as popular, and he’s not. He’s just not.↵↵Who would ever have thought that different countries have different perceptions of celebrity, right and wrong, and what’s appealing on the basketball court? This is all new to me, coming from America, where everyone always feels the exact same way about what athletes are important and why. Oh, and we also all agree that the NBA is the greatest sport of all, too.↵