As a middle school student, Shen Yuqi started to follow the NBA largely because of Chinese superstar Yao Ming, a 7-foot, 6-inch phenom who caught her attention during the 2006-07 season.
China is a huge market for the NBA, with hundreds of millions of fans among its population of 1.4 billion. Bryant, who retired from the league after the 2015-16 season, was one of the most popular stars with a loyal fan base in China.her college years, Shen’s social media activity included dedicating at least one hour each day collecting and translating the daily game reports about Bryant and the Lakers, as well as the Laker star’s off-court activities.
After watching Bryant play in person during a warm-up game in Shanghai before the 2008 Olympics, Shen tried to catch every opportunity to see her idol whenever the Laker star traveled to China during the off-season. In addition to admiring Byrant’s skills on the basketball court, Shen began to appreciate him as a person.
Thanks to his massive popularity in China, Bryant looked to be on track to develop a promising career in the Chinese market.
In China? ( The basket would only be 2 feet off the ground then?)