A Chinese influencer is leveraging his uncanny resemblance to late basketball legend Kobe Bryant by emulating his style and mannerisms in a series of livestream videos on the TikTok-inspired app Douyin, amassing more than 500,000 followers and making 80,000 yuan (over $11,000) in nearly two weeks.
According to the South China Morning Post, Ma Jinghui, 21, is from the southwestern province of Yunnan and used his likeness to Bryant to grow his followers on the video-sharing platform from a few thousand to almost 600,000 due to his admiration for the Los Angeles Lakers star.
In several of his videos, Jinghui adopts Byrant’s persona, often seen wearing his number 24 jersey with a basketball in his hand. He usually stands behind a white backdrop with rapper Wiz Khalifa’s 2015 hit single “See You Again” playing in the background, per SCMP.
“Man, I’m back,” is one English phrase Jinghui says in the clips.
Jinghui refers to himself as the “Chinese version of Kobe Bryant,” garnering over 100,000 viewers on each livestreaming session.
While the 21-year-old influencer has generated significant income from his content, Bryant remains immensely popular in China, where he is revered as one of the nation’s most adored athletes.
As Blavity reported, Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers, including the pilot, on January 26, 2020. His death sent shockwaves around the world, leaving a profound impact on millions of fans and admirers.
While fans have praised Jinghui for his Bryant-inspired videos, some critics have voiced dissent, contending that his resemblances to the former Lower Marion High School basketball star are unremarkable.
Jinghui also plans to use his earnings to support his family and invest in English language lessons to refine his homage to Bryant.
“I hope to earn more money, buy a car for my dad and get my sister a new phone,” he told SCMP. “I’m now learning English to pay a better tribute to Kobe Bryant.”
“My goal is 1 million followers, and I’ll be live-streaming basketball games in the future,” he added.
