Bryant Stirs Up Emotions

Kobe Bryant called his basketball-playing trip to the Great Wall of China one of the most memorable events of his life. But some Chinese felt otherwise: When traffic and surging crowds prevented the Laker star from showing up for an appearance in the city Sunday afternoon, they got mad.

Fans who had been waiting for hours in blistering temperatures grew agitated when Bryant was more than 11/2 hours late for a gig at the Millennium Monument in western Beijing. Some hurled bottles, pushed at barricades and criticized Adidas, the sponsor.

Police dragged off one offender by his hair and quickly dispersed the crowd of about 1,500, though it wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was detained. Beijing police would confirm no arrests, and Adidas said it knew of none.

The event was abruptly canceled because the fanfare outside the venue caused so much congestion that authorities wouldn’t allow Bryant’s car to enter.

“Kobe Bryant was not allowed to come to the site by China police. He was blocked on the way,” said an Adidas spokeswoman who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “The police said there were too many fans.”

Later, Bryant blamed “circumstances that were out of my control.”

“I was informed that the conditions around the venue I was to appear at were unsafe for my fans,” he told cheering fans Sunday night at another appearance. “I so badly wanted to meet those fans that waited with such loyalty and patience.”

Earlier, Bryant rhapsodized about playing at the Great Wall. “It’s an experience that’s very difficult to capture in words,” hesaid.

The 22-year-old Bryant, whom Chinese fans call “ke bi,” also joined kids Saturday at a basketball clinic near the Great Wall, north of Beijing.

“Kobe’s Big Great Wall Slam Dunk,” the Guangzhou Daily News enthused Sunday at the top of its sports section. Bryant said he was impressed with the kids who joined him at the clinic--especially one who did a reverse dunk with a T-shirt over his head.