Kobe Bryant and his AAU team made an appearance at a WNBA game on Sunday.
According to espnWâs official Twitter account, Bryant and his team were at the Los Angeles Sparks vs. Las Vegas Aces game on Sunday.
.@kobebryant and his AAU team are here for @LA_Sparks vs. @LVAces đ pic.twitter.com/gCdhJF5xvT
â espnW (@espnW) May 26, 2019
The 40-year-old Bryant has been promoting youth sports development programs since he retired from the NBA three years ago.
Bryant launched the Mamba League, a basketball camp for children who are eight to 10 years old, in 2017. âI like seeing kids get better,â he said in the leagueâs promotional video (via Bleacher Reportâs Andrew Gould).
Bryant has been a staunch critic of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for years. The organizationâs approach to youth basketball fundamentals hasnât impressed him, per ESPNâs Baxter Holmes.
I hate it because it doesnât teach our players how to play the right way, how to think the game, how to play in combinations of threes.
I think everything is a reward system. I think the coaches who are teaching the game are getting rewarded in one fashion or another. Itâs just a showcase. I think itâs absolutely horrible for the game.
Bryant also told Holmes heâs fortunate he grew up in Europe. He grew up learning the fundamentals and basics of basketball in that part of the globe.
.@kobebryant and his AAU team surprised the @PhoenixMercury at practice today đ pic.twitter.com/hGk7jnB8Q5
â espnW (@espnW) May 18, 2019
Bryant also launched his Mamba Sports Academy, a multi-sport training facility, in December 2018. Its featured programs include NBPA summer camp, summer youth camps, basketball tournaments, adult 4-on-4 beach volleyball league, Mamba Esports, and the Jeff Lewis Sports Photography Bootcamp, per its official website.
Apparently, showing youngsters (including his daughter) the WNBA game is Bryantâs way of spreading the gospel of basketball.