World Sport News

Kobe Bryant has been appointed as the new Ambassador of the 2019 FIBA World Championship in China. This was officially announced by the Basketball World Federation on its homepage.

The five-time NBA champion, together with Yao Ming, will thus act as ambassador for the event, which begins on 31 August in China.

“Since I grew up in Italy and spent a lot of time as a visitor in China, I have always appreciated the global influence of basketball on the positive development of young people,” Bryant explained in a statement.

“I am honoured that FIBA has invited me to become an ambassador for the 2019 FIBA World Championships,” Kobe continued. The former Laker will participate in various events in the run-up to the World Cup to promote the event.

According to FIBA, Bryant has about 6.84 million followers on Chinese social networks, making it the largest fan base player in China among all current and former NBA players.