Kobe Bryant was perhaps the most well-liked American hooper in China. “I thought I was famous until I got to China with Kobe Bryant,” as LeBron James infamously said. Mike Breen, the play-by-play commentator, was similarly struck by the extent of the Mamba’s impact in China after he had an accidental meeting with a taxi driver.
Kobe Bryant in action for the lakers
Breen recounted the incident that occurred on January 26, 2020, the day after Bryant passed away, while he was in charge of calling a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks. When Breen got into a taxi to meet with Team USA players during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the driver saw he was sporting an NBA pullover.
The driver questioned the pundit if he was familiar with NBA player Kobe Bryant. Naturally, Breen answered “yes.” However, he was unprepared for what was going to happen next. The seasoned broadcaster stated that the driver would stop the taxi and begin to cry.
Mike Breen Talks off his interaction with Cab Driver On Kobe Bryant
The cab driver was brought to tears even though he didn’t actually meet Kobe Bryant because he was with someone who knew the Mamba. He said,
“I had an NBA pullover on, a taxi driver who didn’t speak good English turned around and pointed to me, ‘NBA, NBA’. I said, ‘Yes NBA’. He said, ‘Kobe Bryant?’ I said, ‘Yes, Kobe Bryant is playing for USA’. He asked me in broken English, ‘You know Kobe Bryant?’ When I told them, Yes, I knew Kobe Bryant, he pulled the cab over and started sobbing.”
Naturally, Mike Breen was taken aback by the cab driver’s response. Never before has he witnessed someone become so upset at the mere mention of an athlete. This incident demonstrates that Kobe Bryant is more than just a name in China—he’s a feeling.
