Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant yesterday put on a late show in Kaohsiung after a flight delay kept thousands of fans waiting for hours in the heat.
Bryant arrived in Kaohsiung just before 7pm, after his private jet’s departure from Manila had been delayed for several hours, and rushed to a “Kobe Academy” event at the Kaohsiung Zhongzheng Stadium that had been scheduled to start four hours earlier.
Despite the wait, 1,500 fans welcomed the 18-time NBA All-Star with shouts of “Kobe, Kobe,” with many in the crowd wearing LA Lakers T-shirts in honor of their hero.
Photographer: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
However, complaints still poured in, with people accusing the promoters of poor organization and keeping them in the dark about when the program would start.
Several people fainted after waiting in the 36°C heat and received medical treatment.
“I have been in line to see Kobe since 6am this morning, and there was already more than 100 people here at that time. I have now waited for more than 12 hours... I have not eaten since breakfast, but I will stand here until I meet Kobe in person,” one man said.
After the stadium event Bryant headed to the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center to open his “Mamba Mentality” special exhibition.
Officials at Nike Taiwan, the former LA Lakers frontman’s official sponsor of his Taiwan visit, said that Bryant’s program in the Philippines ran late yesterday morning, and his private jet’s departure from Manila was pushed back, resulting in the delay.
“We want to apologize to all the fans who waited patiently through the day for Kobe Bryant, because of the flight delay. Later in the afternoon, we provided water and food for the people at the stadium, and provided assistance to a few people who required medical attention,” a Nike Taiwan executive said.
Bryant is scheduled to conduct a basketball mini training camp this morning with a group of young female players at Taipei’s Nangang Municipal Sports Center.
Nike Taiwan officials said that today’s program is not open to the public, but there would be media coverage of it.
Bryant helped win five NBA championship titles for the Lakers, and capped his brilliant career with a 60-point output in his final game against the Utah Jazz on April 14.
Byrant’s “Mamba Mentality” tour took him to Beijing last week and then Manila on Saturday.
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