Lakers All-star guard Kobe Bryant (R) plays with Asian pop super star Jay Chou during shoot of the Sprite Basketball Theme Song - The Heaven & Earth Challenge. [Provided to China Daily]

 

NBA All-Star Game MVP Kobe Bryant also wowed his multitude of fans on Sunday with his vocal skills during the launch of his Sprite basketball theme song, co-performed with Asian pop superstar Jay Chou, called The Heaven & Earth Challenge.

The pre-recorded song, which was unveiled at a press conference before the All-Star Game, was Bryant's second project with the multi-talented Chou, who is a singer, songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director and has won the World Music Award four times.

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Chou, a keen basketball fan, said the creativity he saw on the basketball court motivated him and vowed he would set the song to video soon.

Bryant and Chou will donate all income from the online ringtone downloads of the song to a charity dedicated to improving basketball facilities in Project Hope schools in China.

Andres Kiger Sr, director of Integrated Marketing Solutions of Coca-Cola Greater China, said: "This song not only represents the perfect blend of basketball and music by two of the world's greatest talents but it is also our hope that it will spark creative basketball expression that ripples across the world. I am sure that people will love this song."

Bryant and Chou appeared in this year's China Sprite basketball TV commercial, playing themselves. Bryant said Chou's basketball skills were beyond his expectations. The commercial ended with the slogan 'It's the basketball', which was designed to encourage youngsters to express themselves and that basketball gives them the opportunity to be creative.

The song is the first thrust of Sprite's 2011 China campaign. A competition to discover the most creative slam dunkers in China will bounce off soon.

China Daily