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June 30, 2009

Basketball Star Starts Charity in China

Kobe Bryant, the NBA superstar whose popularity in China rivals that of native-born basketball player Yao Ming, is further raising his profile in the country with the start of a charity there, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Kobe Bryant China Fund will work with the state-supported Soong Ching Ling Foundation to raise money within the country for education and health programs. Mr. Bryant’s existing U.S. charity, the Kobe Bryant Family Foundation, will also work to strengthen U.S.-China ties by teaching American middle-school students about Chinese language and culture.

In July Mr. Bryant will make his fourth visit in as many months to China as part of a campaign to establish his presence in the world’s most populous country. “I think he can be a one-man State Department, reaching directly to the people,” said Donald Tang, a Chinese financial adviser who will guide the ballplayer’s Chinese charity.

Tuesday June 30, 2009 | Permalink

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