Recently retired NBA superstar Kobe Bryant is now the pitchman of a Chinese delivery service startup Ele.me.

In a promotional campaign for Ele.me, (which reportedly means "Are you hungry?"), the basketball idol was seen playing table tennis badly and fighting hunger pangs. He was then revived after a quick food delivery from Ele.me.

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"Kobe's worth the money spent, no matter how much," Tomaz Mok, McCann WorldGroup China's chairman, said, adding that he has no idea how much Bryant would earn from the endorsement.

The former Los Angeles Lakers player appeared in the ad alongside Hong Kong actor Wong Cho-lam. The campaign was aired on TV and online. A second video is expected to be released next month.

Ele.me is backed by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, and the basketball superstar has connections with Alibaba. As a matter of fact, Bryant's company Kobe Inc. revealed a deal with Alibaba last year to release Kobe-branded products and a video narrative about his life, AdAge reported.

Known as the Black Mamba, Bryant is very famous in China even in retirement. He has appeared in ads in China for Nike, Apple TV, Turkish Airlines, Lenovo, to name a few. According to ESPN's World Fame 100, he is the most famous athlete in the country.

Nike has brought Bryant a couple of times to train young aspiring athletes and inspire NBA fans in China. During Kobe's final game, several Chinese firms gave their employees a day off to watch his final moments in court.

TagsKobe Bryant, Alibaba, Ele.me, food delivery service, McCann WorldGroup China