Kobe Bryant while on his tour of China took part in a Q&A with ZhanQi TV on Thursday, interacting with fans on his very own channel on the live streaming platform that is centered on gaming and eSports.
Told that he could use the channel from his Southern California home and that he didn’t have to come back to China to say hello to fans, Bryant was impressed.
“Like a FaceTime from here,” Bryant said. “Sweet. I’m with that. That’s pretty cool.”
For now, the kobe.zhanqi.tv channel plays the Q&A with Bryant on loop. During the conversation, he experienced what ZhanQi TV had to offer by interacting live on a video chat with fans and seeing their pop-up comments in real-time. He made a cross-eyed funny face at one point. A woman who got the chance to connect with Bryant on video kept blowing kisses at him, adding, “I love you.” Another fan covered his mouth in shock when he saw Bryant.
Bryant could understand the draw of interacting on ZhanQi TV given that he uses FaceTime with his daughters.
“I FaceTime with them all the time, and sometimes they’re showing me the good grades that they have in school,” Bryant said. “Other times they’re showing me their dribbling moves and shooting moves.”
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ZhanQi TV’s CEO later gave Bryant a sword as a gift that he was told was worth $15,000 and took a blacksmith 10 months to make.
“It’s the best gift I’ve ever received,” Bryant said.
Fans, meanwhile, got to hear Bryant speak about his life after his NBA playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers and how he has focused on the investment, entertainment and education industries after retiring.
Asked about his advice for college students considering careers that they like or make a lot of money, Bryant said, “If you look at some of the great examples that you have here, some of the great entrepreneurs here, athletes, etc., we all follow our passion. When you follow your passion, things tend to work out.”
When ZhanQi TV put out a poll question to fans on if Bryant should be a coach, entrepreneur, pop star or philanthropist, Bryant had his own response.
“I vote all four, and that’s what I’ll do,” he said.