Still fresh from winning his fourth NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant will be heading for the Manila later this month as part of a six-city tour sponsored by Nike.

Bryant will make his first stop in the Philippines on July 21 and thereafter proceed to Singapore, Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong and Shanghai and Chengdu in China, according to a statement from Nike.

The Lakers star has toured Asia every summer since 2006 and last visited Manila in 2007. In 2008, he went on tour as part of the USA Basketball team leading up to the Beijing Olympics, where he and other NBA stars earned gold medals.

This year’s tour, according to Nike, offers Kobe a chance to check back in with the young players he met on previous tours and meet up and coming players.

“I'm looking forward to returning to Asia to see the progress the kids have made since my last visit,” said Bryant.

“I liked what I saw then and I’m planning to work the kids even harder to give them a better sense of the dedication and hard work it takes to be a champion.”

Nike is also this month the “Nike Dream Season”, which is part of Bryant’s signature shoe collection sold exclusively in Asia.

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