Kobe in PlayStation game

In a very good announcement, Kobe Bryant and his new, No. 24 Lakers jersey will be the starring attraction for NBA 07, the new PlayStation 2 video game that will be released this fall, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. said Friday.

In fact, the agreement, announced in front of a crowd of youngsters in the gymnasium of the Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club in Los Angeles, means the first new major sports marketing deal for Bryant since sexual-assault charges were brought against him in July 2003, although the charges were dropped in September 2004.

However, financial terms of the sponsorship deal were not released.

Bryant's image will be featured on packaging for the video game, and he will be in television and print ads.

"Kobe was our option from the start, no question," said Sharon Shapiro, Sony Computer Entertainment's senior director of promotions and sports product marketing. Bryant said that the Sony contract "just naturally made sense because we're both trying to have a strong impact on our fields."

The Lakers player said that he is in regular contact with Shapiro to discuss advertising and marketing plans for the game that also will be produced for Sony's portable video game player and the PlayStation3 line to be introduced in November.

It's important to mention that Phoenix Suns star Amare Stoudemire was the featured player in the NBA 06 video game. That game was the ninth biggest seller in the $10.5-billion video games category during 2005, according to NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm.

Video game fans — males between the ages of 14 and 34 buy most of the games — aren't likely to balk at buying a game because of Bryant's high-profile legal problems.

"I'd guess that 81 points speaks a lot louder," said David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute, in reference to the Lakers star's single-game performance last season. "The video gamer is much more concerned with his on-the-court performance."

Sports marketers also said that Bryant, who will turn 28 next week, could be an effective spokesman for Sony even though the NBA has steadily added younger stars. Those include LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, three of the top five NBA draftees in 2003 who were named as tri-captains for the USA Basketball team.

Kobe will be back in October

Lakers' star Kobe Bryant says his right knee is pain free. That's why the player thinks he will be ready to go when training camp begins in October.

The popular basketball player noticed the great evolution of his injury: "By then I should be full bore, completely healed up, strong, ready to go,".

In fact, Bryant has been resting the knee this summer, but continues upper body work and some light work on the exercise bicycle. "With scar tissue, they really want me to let it settle, just let the scar tissue heal before you get out there and start running around," Bryant expressed. "Your scar tissue comes back too quickly, you'll wind up having to do the same procedure again in a year or two."

New Bryant's foundation will see the light

In a really great gesture, Kobe Bryant Thursday announced he is forming a foundation providing assistance to persons who need financial assistance to help make their dreams come true.

In fact, the first project of the Vivo Foundation is Vivo Del Mondo, a program providing an all-expense paid nine-day trip to Italy beginning next week for eight black and Latin college students.

The popular basketball player announced the recipients of the trip Thursday night at a West Los Angeles restaurant.

The goal of Vivo Del Mondo is to provide the students with an international travel experience that will offer them a broader and expanded context to discover and develop their life passions and encourage students to think, question and formulate their own beliefs, according to Kobe Bryant.

It's also good to mention that the students will visit Rome, Florence and Venice between August 8 to 16.

As we said, the students selected to take the trip were affiliated with the Hispanic College Fund and Phase3, which provides college scholarships for black students.

"This is very exiting for us to be able to have the opportunity to do something like this," Bryant said. "(With) me growing up oversees and being exposed to another world, another way of life, to be able to open those doors to somebody else is special."

It's important to keep in mind that Bryant spent eight years of his childhood in Italy while his father Joe was playing professional basketball there.