Chinese fans took to social media to express their sentiments for Kobe Bryant hours before he finally said goodbye to his 20-year career at the Staples Center on Wednesday.

Waves of posts flooded China's Twitter-like Weibo social media platform, with the hashtag #ThankYouKobe trended. The hashtag attracted over 300,000 comments and 140 million views.

Like Us on Facebook

"Bryant is part of my best youth memory which represents passion and hardworking honors," a Weibo user commented.

Not only ordinary people sent their thanks and love for the basketball legend as Chinese celebrities across the fields on entertainment, business and sports also expressed their appreciation.

"Thanks for everything you've done for basketball! Giving as more inspiration! Salute," Chen Chien-chou, a TV presenter from Taiwan, posted.

Chinese fans' "Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!" chant clearly echoed miles away at the Staples Center on Wednesday night, as fans obviously ecstatically cheered for their idol.

"He's still challenging himself at the last minute!" Chinese actress Li Bingbing wrote. "An incredible legend. The Black Mamba has no need for regret or sadness. Salute!"

Meanwhile, Chinese actor Li Yifeng also shared photos to his 29 million Weibo followers, revealing himself hanging out and getting an autograph with the basketball legend. Li gave Kobe a sword as a token of appreciation.

"I finally met you," he wrote. "I hope tomorrow comes soon and also hope it never comes."

Shortly before the game, Kobe thanked all his Chinese fans for their decades-long support through a short video he posted on his Weibo account.

Just last week, Nike also unveiled a 1-minute tribute commercial to the Black Mamba's career in China. Producers noted that Kobe was directly involved in writing the message.

"Kobe has an intimate relationship with Chinese ballers, so he knows exactly how to teach and motive them," Terence Leong, W+K Shanghai creative director, said.

TagsKobe Bryant, #ThankYouKobe, Black Mamba, #BlackMambaDay, NBA, Basketball