Renowned for his passion in basketball, Jay Chou (周杰伦) will be leading a celebrity team against NBA star, Kobe Bryant! The charity basketball match will take place on August 18th at Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. In the fundraising match for disadvantaged children, Jay will take over the reins as captain and lead his basketball team lineup, consisting of Blackie Chan (陳建州), Will Liu (劉畊宏), Alan Ko (柯有伦), Cindy Yen (袁咏琳), Jane Zhang (张靓颖) and Aaron Yan (炎亚纶). Currently playing for Team USA in the London 2012 Olympics, Kobe Bryant will lead JJ Lin (林俊傑), Wu Chun (吴尊), Jason Tang (唐志中) and Chinese basketball player, Chen Jianhua (陈江华) in the exciting showdown. Kobe Bryant Issues Challenge to Jay Chou This is not the first time Kobe and Jay pitted against each other at the basketball court. Last year, Kobe was initially invited as a guest-of-honor at a charity basketball match led by Jay and Wu Chun. Not willing to being confined at the spectator seat, Kobe headed straight into the basketball court and flaunted his basketball skills for 8 minutes. It was a dream come true for Jay to play against his NBA idol! At an earlier press conference this year, Kobe issued a challenge to Jay through a video clip, “Jay Chou, let’s wait and see! This time is for real!” Not intimidated by Kobe’s statement, Jay confidently took up the challenge and replied, “I like spirited young people, and it will be a courageous breakthrough for those that are on my team. Playing together with them, I am confident to win the match!” Jay was ready to out play the NBA star! Jay Chou Gears Up for Showdown with Kobe Bryant Heading into the charity match as the underdogs, Jay Chou and his team are not taking the charity basketball game lightly. Jay has been training rigorously with his team mates and ready to take down the 6 feet 6 inch NBA star! After playing against Kobe last year, Jay had picked up many basketball playing tips from him. Learning from past experience, Jay had learnt not to go head-to-head with Kobe in terms of speed. Already formulating his game strategy for the coming match, Jay said, “It’s impossible to compete with Kobe in terms of height and speed! But in terms of shooting accuracy, it’s worth to give it a try!” Kobe Wants to Spar Against Jay in Music Battle Travelling with an entourage of more than 20 people, Kobe’s Shanghai itinerary will be kept under strict confidentiality. He will have his private body guards and stay at a five-star luxury hotel. Last year, Kobe sang a song together with Jay, titled World Battle <天地一鬥>, where he rapped in the upbeat R&B song in a commercial for Sprite. In the Sprite commercial, Jay and Kobe dueled their basketball skills on court. The NBA star and Taiwanese pop prince’s collaboration received positive reviews from their fans. In the upcoming basketball match on August 18th, Kobe also hoped to challenge Jay in the music arena. Fans will be in for a treat to a spectacular show of a basketball and music battle between the two superstars! Jay Chou and Kobe Bryant in Last Year’s Sprite Ad! [video=youtube;pqt_KG826Tg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqt_KG826Tg[/video] Creds:163
