File photo of Kobe Bryant. (Photo: VCG)

SHENZHEN, March 17 (Xinhua) -- NBA Legend Kobe Bryant came to a middle school in Shenzhen to interact with students, including children associated with the Kobe China Fund, and share his new Young Adult sports fantasy novel, The Wizenard Series: Training Camp here on Sunday.

Yi Jianlian, Wang Shipeng, Zheng Haixia and other famous Chinese basketball players also came to the event to enjoy the happiness of basketball with the children. Kobe also gave children and guests copies of The Wizenard Series: Training Camp and his recently released Chinese-language autobiography, Mamba Mentality: Kobe Bryant.

At the end of 2018, Bryant released his autobiography Mamba Mentality: Kobe Bryant, reflecting on his legendary 20-year NBA career, as well as his knowledge and experience of basketball game. However, his exploration in the field of cultural creativity has not stopped.

Speaking at the event, Bryant announced that Granity Studios, the content production studio he founded, is planning to release The Wizenard Series: Training Camp in the United States on March 19. This is a new force after his autobiography, but also Bryant's first sports fantasy novel. The story is about an inner-city basketball team, the West Bottom Badgers, and their magical coach, Rolabi Wizenard.

The story unfolds through five novels, each told from the perspective of a player on the team, sharing their specific challenges, hopes, and fears. "I hope readers will identify with and learn more about themselves through the diverse cast of characters and their journeys to self-acceptance."

"I created this sports fantasy series to represent, inspire, and entertain today's young athletes, which is something I haven't seen done before. It's a story I wish had been available to me as a young athlete." said Bryant in a statement.

The simplified Chinese version of the book will be published in September.