A Chinese gamer and social media influencer has discovered a new career after fans noted that he has a striking resemblance to one of the world’s most celebrated basketball players. Now, instead of playing video games all day, the 21-year-old Yunnan resident has embraced his newfound role as a Kobe Bryant impersonator.
Now, the social media influencer has captivated audiences by morphing his appearance with makeup and a haircut from a fair-skinned Asian man to mirror the late African-American sports legend.
Before Ma Jinghui impersonated the 18-time NBA All-Star, he had just a modest following of a few thousand on Douyin, the Chinese analog of TikTok. However, since channeling the persona of the late Los Angeles Lakers star, his follower count surged to over 600,000. This newfound fame isn’t just vanity; it’s profitable. In a mere ten days, his Kobe Bryant impersonations raked in 80,000 yuan (US$12,000), according to the South China Morning Post.
The publication also reports that Ma “consistently [draws] over 100,000 viewers for each live session” on social media from people desperately wanting to see him in the five-time NBA champion’s costume.
To achieve the look, Ma shaved his head and used a shade of brown foundation to match Kobe’s cocoa complexion. Some people complain that he is not muscular enough to fully achieve the look, and so he has committed to working in the gym to get his weight up.
He is also pushing himself to learn one of the three languages that Kobe used to speak.
“I’m now learning English to pay a better tribute to Kobe Bryant,” he said as he prepared to take his impersonations to the next level. Dubbing himself the “Chinese version of Kobe Bryant,” he plans to provide for his family with the money he makes playing the celebrity.
“I hope to earn more money, buy a car for my dad, and get my sister a new phone,” he said.
Adding, “My goal is 1 million followers, and I’ll be live-streaming basketball games in the future.”
This is not the first time that a person of Asian descent has gone viral for transforming their look into the former basketball and rap artist.
Asian makeup artist @Easy_BaoBo posted a video of her impersonation on TikTok on May 27, 2022. Using prosthetics and brown paint, she transformed into a likeness of Bryant. The process involved sculpting African features, applying rich mocha skin tones, and detailing signature features like eyebrows, mustache, beard, and hairstyle using sponges and black paint.
The pushback she received, said Easy BaoBo, was that she was performing Blackface for clout.
“What people are missing from the lady doing blackface today is that she did it purposely to get this reaction and her TikTok tag out and trending this broadly,” one person wrote.
Another added, “When you see something this blatant, it is almost ALWAYS for clout. It’s racist, obviously. But it’s racism for clout.”
One more wrote, “This is blackface. Whether the intention is cruel or not, she is benefitting from Black suffrage. She is using Black pain as an art form that does not come from her culture. And making money whilst so….this got them the clout they were looking for.”
Critics have slammed Ma, but not as harshly as the makeup artist. One person said that he doesn’t resemble the basketball player who died in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gigi Bryant in January 2020 and is “just cashing in on people’s love for Kobe.”
Others think that that’s the wrong way to view the tribute.
“As long as there’s love and perseverance, regardless of background or wealth, anyone can play basketball. That is what Kobe taught us,” one fan offered.
