NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of Los Angeles Lakers works out with fans at the Southorn Playground in Hong Kong Friday. The Hong Kong visit is part of the "Kobe Asian Tour". Edmond Tang

HONG KONG: Amid the roar of thundering cheers, NBA megastar Kobe Bryant met with his fans in Hong Kong. It's the fourth time Bryant has been to Hong Kong. His last visit was in 2007.

Despite Bryant's being 15 minutes late for the gathering, the crowd was undeterred in its zeal to meet the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the NBA finals.

The audiences greeted their idol by screeching out "MVP" when he arrived.

Bryant said although this is not his first visit, it is a special one. "Because I can share the happiness of winning the NBA finals with my Hong Kong fans," he said.

Asked what would be his next goal after clinching the NBA championship for the fourth time, he said, "My next goal is one more cookie."

Two fans of Bryant had been chosen beforehand to meet the star and present him gifts they had made themselves. In return, Bryant gave them his trainers and thanked them for their support.

An hour later he moved to Southorn Stadium in Wan Chai to watch some young Hong Kong basketballers play a game. He met another 2,000 fans at the stadium, including celebrities Pakho Chow, and Bernice Liu.

As he had done on previous visits, Bryant picked a few players after the game and gave them some pointers on how to play better basketball.

One of the lucky players, Adam Xu, was on the bench when Bryant came to Hong Kong in 2007. Despite being the youngest player on the court, he earned praise from Bryant as a young man "having great talent".

"The concept he taught was easy, but it's difficult to master those tricks," said Xu.

Chow Kin-wang, 19, was chosen by Bryant for a second time.

"Apart from my height, I think it's my shooting skill that impressed him," said the 1.94-meter forward.

To everyone's surprise, Bryant proposed a one-on-one match against Chow when he comes next time.

"I'm really looking forward to it, and I'll work harder than ever on the skills he taught me," Chow said.

(HK Edition 07/25/2009 page4)