GSP wrote:
Very surprised by this for some reason whenever I hear Wade speak about Kobe its never in an alltime praise kind of way.
True, but then look at these two headlines and stories and it might make more sense why Wade said what he said:
"Dwyane Wade Dumps Jordan for Chinese Shoe Brand" (Oct 2012)
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/10/15/ ... hoe-brand/"Kobe Bryant is kind of popular in China" (Aug 2012)
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-o ... r-in-chinaHere's the picture from the Kobe article:

It is my understanding that Kobe is still the most popular NBA player in China, even over LeBron. And that could be true for all of Asia.
Let's see: I have a new shoe line I'm pitching in Asia. How might I try to make myself -- and by extension my shoe brand -- a bit more attractive to the customers over there? I know, I will suck up to the most popular guy in my sport among those customers.
This happens all the time. A great example of it was when Kobe went to the Philippines and said that he thought Pacquiao would beat Mayweather in a boxing match.
The answer might have been different had Kobe been asked the question in the USA.