Kobe Bryant Talks About Cheering For And Meeting "Incredible" Michael Phelps (VIDEO)

"Redeem Team" captain Kobe Bryant and LeBron James took a break from basketball over the weekend to watch Michael Phelps swim towards his historic 8th gold medal in the 4 x 100 Medley realy.

Today Phelps returned the show of support by going to the locker room and meeting the players of the US basketball team. Kobe took a moment to talk to NBC about how exciting it was to watch Phelps and how he hopes to share in the gold medal winning. While NBC showed footage of LeBron and Kobe cheering the race, Kobe gushed, "Me and LeBron both just felt like fans for a while. It was incredible."

Watch:

Bonus: The awesome Nike ad featuring the Redeem team and Marvin Gaye singing the national anthem has an extended version.

Watch:

Comments

[saltpeter]

Marvin Gaye proves that being patriotic can be sexy and Kobe proves that being a fan can be child-like (both in a good way).

[sisteract]

I love it!

[Sportswoman]

I remember Marvin singing that and how some stody ol fossils were upset. I'll take Marvin's version first, Hendrix's second, and Ray Charles' "America" third.

[NorthernCross]

Kobe is a lot like McCain. Lotsa people like to paint him in a bad light, even though he's a good person who gets consistently positive results

[cjk002]

Yeah, I love the results of Kobe's Iraq war policy, or was that McCain's ?

[javaJimmy]

And I guess Kobe supports drilling off the coast of California?
Building more nuclear power plants in the West?
Giving people tax breaks to buy health insurance, when in fact the people who need it the most don't have incomes to tax in the first place?

I thought he just plays a mean game of b-ball...

[krocklin]

McCain gets consistently NEGATIVE results. He is shaping up to be even emptier and lamer than Reagan was as a candidate. But Reagan grew. McCain can only imagine that he "can win wars".
Like Bush, he is arrogant, ignorant, thinskinned and anger prone.

[shotgunblast]

McCain is painted in a bad light because he flip-flops more than John Kerry, and his campaign is run by Karl Rove and lobbyist. He courts people he bashed just a few years ago(example: John Hagee). He also started negative attack ads WAY before Obama, who mainly just responds to McCains attacks.Mc­Cain = George W. Bush's third term. NOT GOOD.

[BMSstudy]

Are you saying Kerry is a flip-flopper?

[Eric8869]

Kobe didn't leave his wife did he? John McCain did.

Oh wait - Kobe raped a girl.

[phantom5551]

watching this performance by marvin gaye should be required viewing for nearly every big name star that has sung this song at a big sporting event for the last 10-15 years. it is so irritating when so many think they are doing something special with those overwrought vocal runs and corny phrasing.

its all about simplicity

[lisakaz2]

Marvin had such a sweeeeet voice. Such a shame he died way too young

[SwingVoter]

Rush Limbaugh did a side-hit-piece on Kobe Bryant earlier today.

[trollsbwild]

Gee, what a suprise. Oxycotin Man has a problem with a man of color.

[krocklin]

Rush is a caricature. It galls him, really stabs him in the center of his being, that Kobe got clear of that incident in Colorado.
Bigots can't stand this kind of thing. They feel threatened, and we all know Rush is highly insecure sexually.
He could be a case study in a psyche class he is so blatant.

[kellygrrrl]

it must be fun for Kobe to be the starstruck spectator

[chiefeditor]

It's sort of cute that Kobe Bryant's all starstruck! Audio of his comments is up here: http://www.entertonement.com/collections/2216/Kobe-on-Phelps

[barackobama4prez]

This guy really is amazing. I love watching him swim.

[Gina322]

I heart Michael Phelps

[misanthropexlife]

My thought exactly.

[Eric8869]

There is too much attention paid to these NBA players during the Olmpics. These are people who are famous all year long - is it too much to ask that the unknown athletes get a little attention at the Olypics.

Some of these people have struggled and worked their whole lives for this one moment in time. Do we have to see these Celebrities grabbing their spotlight?

It was obvious during the opening ceremonies. NBC was like "forget those unknown athetes - get those cameras on the STARS".

Pathetic but very American.

[majormoderate]

nice. good job finding something to complain about.

[Eric8869]

It's bad to complain that I'd rather see the unprofessional athletes at the Olmpics. Give it a rest.

[defjus]

It's not only NBC and America that has there attention on the NBA stars, the whole world does. Basketball is a global game, only topped by soccer as far as popularity goes. In fact, Kobe and Lebron sell more jerseys than even Yao does in China (not to mention the rest of Asia).

[Eric8869]

Turn off a game and turn on your brain for once.

[mjaifan]

I rather watch basketball all day than swimming every damn day. Thanks God for Tivo. Basketball games are on weird time 5AM while I am sleeping.

[Eric8869]

Sad and pathetic you ARE the problem. The Olmpics are NOT about them.

[Eric8869]

PS: Run down a court with a basketball - then swim a bunch of laps in a pool. You'll see who the real athletes are. nimrod

[jOke]

THE BEST VERSION OF THE ANTEHM BY MARVIN GAYE... HANDS DOWN.

[shockjock]

This is the version for January 20, 2009.

In fact, this will be the version taught it school from now on.

[masha2008]

well this shows that kobe and lebron are not egocentric. but let's see how phelps behaves. if he will give visible support to the rest of the american olympians.

[meleon]

The biggest surprise about Phelps for me was his taste in music. Don't know why but I was certain he was a Toby Keith etc NUcountry kinda guy. You could have knocked me over with a feather when he started naming Lil Wayne, Lil Jeezy and other rap and hip hop artist that he listens to. Anyway, he's easy to be a fan of and I'm enjoying his enjoying it all. His mom is a blast, and their little family seems so wonderfully tight and down to earth "even if right now they're all walking on clouds."

[Quotidien]

You must not know Baltimore.

[jewel4Obama]

Amen to that!!

[meleon]

Can't say I do. I know only one person from there and he's a white, 50ish, VN vet, diehard liberal, and at present, an italian restaurant owner in the Chesepeake Bay area. That's it

[AtTheMoon]

no kidding, i was just at lexington market in baltimore and heard the most fantastic blues band...

[speeddeeps]

Next thing is that The Wire is hsi favourite tv series

[jOke]

Phelps is the real deal..

[jOke]

but com'on.. hes from Baltimore. this is really no surprise.

[conniedogs]

He never would have won 8 gold medals listening to Toby Keith! Phelps is a smart man he knows what it takes to get motivated and it aint Toby Keith!