Critics want to bench this star’s endorsement
Foul…complain some of LA star basketball player Kobe Bryant’s latest endorsement.
He has endorsed Turkish Airlines, which announced plans to fly between Istanbul and LA starting next march. Bryant will appear in a film for the airline and get paid for the use of his image.
“But the large Armenian population in Los Angeles – many of them who happen to be Lakers fans – are furious over the endorsement and urged Bryant to drop the deal,” reports the New york Daily News
Armenian groups and many scholars argue that Turkey committed genocide by targeting the ethnic group during what they said was a massacre in 1915. Today, The Turkish government refuses to officially admit the genocide took place, which has been a source of tension between it and many of its Western allies – including the United States.
Some Turkish groups want Bryant to drop the deal.
Bryant said in a press release he had never actually visited Turkey, but called it "a country rich in natural beauty and thousands of years of cultural history."
By David Wilkening
David
Have your say Cancel reply
Subscribe/Login to Travel Mole Newsletter
Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. If you are receiving this message, simply enter your email address to sign in or register if you are not. In order to display the B2B travel content that meets your business needs, we need to know who are and what are your business needs. ITR is free to our subscribers.
































Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025