TORONTO – Kobe Bryant was cheered as he sat down Friday.
Not by fans, but media – though in Bryant’s first public appearance of All-Star Weekend it was tough to distinguish between the two. Reporters, many from international outlets, had packed around Bryant’s table for more than an hour before he arrived, just to be close to the retiring superstar.
During a 25-minute news conference, Bryant was handed at least three gifts, including a portrait of him as a Japanese wizard.
The media portion of All-Star Weekend is always, let’s say, less rigid when it comes to traditional standards of journalistic decorum.