Kobe Bryant braves bad weather, hits Manila anew for Lenovo event

Kobe Bryant AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers hit town for the sixth time to promote Lenovo Mobile’s cutting-edge smartphones Monday.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist Bryant, whose flight from Beijing to Manila experienced a two-hour delay due to Typhoon “Labuyo” arrived at 3:30am Monday, unveiled Lenovo’s ultra-sleek and powerful K900 handheld device in a launch held at Passion Restaurant at Maxim’s Hotel in Resorts World Manila.

“First of all, thank you. I always have a good time here. [Lenovo and I] share the same philosophy. Both of us inspire the youth for them to accomplish dreams and goals,” said the 34-year-old Bryant, who was in his usual good mood as he answered questions jotted down by the members of the media and read by host Anthony Suntay.

“With the entry of our smartphones in the country, we want to make our presence strongly felt through none other than our brand ambassador Kobe Bryant. Kobe exemplifies the qualities of Lenovo Mobile’s lineup of smartphones,” said Lenovo’s Vice President for Mobile Internet and Digital Home (MIDH) Business Operations and Worldwide Business Development JD Howard.

“His dedication, his passion and his outstanding performance on the court epitomizes the power and elegance of our products,” added Howard, whom Bryant personally gifted a signature Nike sneaker of his the Kobe 8 in the middle of the press conference.

Bryant, who added that he has been training all summer long and is ahead of schedule recovering from a ruptured achilles tendon, a season-ending injury he sustained last April, will also make an appearance at the Lenovo lounge at the SM Mall of Asia at 6 pm to cap off his one-day event.

Bryant, one of the most charismatic NBA players in history, will also treat lucky winners of Lenovo Mobile’s “Walang Iwanan” promos to an inspirational talk at an intimate gathering in Newport Performing Arts Theatre.

The all-time Lakers scoring leader and 2008 MVP will tackle the values that made him a sports icon.