Kobe Bryant in Dubai: 'Black Mamba' aims to inspire youth in UAE

Kobe Bryant may be battling to save his career after being laid low by an Achilles' tendon injury but his enthusiasm to inspire people was evident after arriving in Dubai for the much anticipated Kobe Bryant Health and Fitness Weekend presented by the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority (DMCC) on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers star nicknamed Black Mamba lived upto his billing as a role model for the sport and expressed his desire to "listen and learn about the culture" on his first visit to the Middle East.

“We are honoured to welcome Kobe (Bryant) to Dubai, especially as this is his first visit to the Middle East but also because he is here to help raise awareness of the importance of health and fitness. Health is the world’s most precious commodity and a topic we are passionate about here at DMCC," said Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of DMCC at a press show held at DMCC’s headquarters in Almas Tower, the tallest commercial tower in the Middle East.

The event opened with introductory speeches from Sarah Omolewu, Managing Partner, Maven Marketing & Events, and Dr. Ghada Aoun, Medical Director and Specialist Endocrinologist & Diabetologist at Boston Diabetes and Endocrine Centre; with a strong focus on the parallels between a healthy lifestyle and success in sports and business.

Bin Sulayem also took the opportunity to present Bryant with a DMCC Free Zone business licence (recently announced as the largest free zone in the UAE), that will enable the basketball star and business mogul to operate a business from Dubai with 100 per cent ownership and 0 corporate tax.

“Now the largest and fastest growing Free Zone in the UAE with a growing global presence, we are excited to introduce Kobe - who continuously inspire people across the globe in sports and in business - to the DMCC corporate family by presenting him with a DMCC Free Zone business license,” he said.

When asked about his first impressions of Dubai, Bryant said: "I just got here an hour ago. When I told I was coming out here, everybody wanted to tell me a story, describe about it. I said 'I don't want to hear anything. I want to really see it'."

“This is my first trip to Dubai, I'm going to use it to learn about the cultural and business priorities of the region and to understand how they align with my core competencies," when asked what he proposes to do with the trade license.

As for his injury, he said: "It's doing well. It's getting stronger and stronger every day. It's about shortening the recovery time. The hardest part of getting over injuries is not being able to train because you are so used to training."

The Kobe Bryant Health and Fitness Weekend will continue on Thursday with a youth basketball skills clinic for 40 lucky students at GEMS American Academy in Abu Dhabi.

Bryant will be joined by players from the Real Madrid basketball 'Legends' team, giving the students access to quality training from some of the best in the business.

The weekend will culminate in the highly anticipated celebrity basketball game on 27th September at the state-of-the-art Knights Arena at American University in Dubai.

Bryant will lead the warm-up and coach a team of celebrity players, called Team Black Mamba.  Playing against Team Black Mamba will be the Real Madrid basketball legends.

Asked what his message would be this weekend, he said: "I always try to carry a message of inspiration. Always try to challenge the youth to accomplish whatever they are trying to accomplish by looking up to us a vehicle to reach some of those dreams which can come true. Hopefully, I can show them how fun it is to be active and playing sport itself."

"One of the biggest gifts is to be able to pass on some of the knowledge learnt from basketball by doing camps, clinics and talks," added Bryant who at 34 years and 104 days of age, became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points.

Michael Jordan is acclaimed as the greatest basketball player of all time. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leading scorer in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant is assured of legendary status for his 17-year-long association with Los Angeles Lakers winning five NBA Championships.

"Everyone should really look at the career of Bryant. His work ethic, facing adversity and not giving up. That attitude you can't buy with money. That cannot be taught in the universities, they don't teach you that in high school. From age 17 onwards he is the same. That constant about Kobe is what makes him the greatest in my view," said Ahmed bin Sulayem, one of Bryant's greatest admirers and staunch fan of Lakers.

More information on the Kobe Bryant Health and Fitness Weekend presented by DMCC is available on: www.kobefitnessuae.com.

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