Alibaba and Kobe Bryant partner to launch branded products in China

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Aug 7, 2015

Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Kobe Inc., the newly formed company by NBA superstar, Kobe Bryant, announced Monday that they have agreed to create a series of Kobe branded products to be distributed through Alibaba Group’s retail platforms including Taobao Marketplace and Tmall.com.
 

“We are pleased to partner with Kobe to inspire young people all across China and encourage them to dream big and reach for their potential,” said Jack Ma, Executive Chairman of the Alibaba Group. “Kobe is an innovative entrepreneur who has established a legacy that extends far beyond the basketball court and is someone who can bring positive impact to the players and fans of basketball in China.”
 
Alibaba Group will release Kobe’s self-produced video narrative, "Kobe Bryant’s Muse", exclusively through Tmall Magic Box on August 8, 2015. Kobe shares his philosophies of life and reviews the ups and downs of his life on court in the narrative.

"I believe there is power in understanding the journey of others to help create your own," said Bryant. "This narrative is an intimate look at who I am as a person, not what I am. My dream is that others are inspired by my personal story and create epic life stories of their own."
 
To promote the video narrative, Alibaba and Kobe will partner with Sina to create a social media platform that will bring new avenues of connecting China’s youth directly to Kobe’s philosophies. Alibaba and Sina will continue the SMEP (Star, Media, Platofrm) model of collaboration to further connect inspirational figures with the young people of China.