Kobe Bryant’s worldwide popularity rivals that of nearly every celebrity in the United States. The fact that he can be voted as a starter to the All-Star Game, despite asking fans not to vote for him, proves that point.
Another sign of his popularity was his status as the most liked US athlete on Facebook. Unfortunately for Bryant, he no longer owns that title as, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, a certain professional wrestler has surpassed him:
This is the world we live in: WWE's John Cena just passed Kobe Bryant for the most-liked athlete on Facebook w/ more than 18.6 million fans
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 7, 2014
Being passed by Cena is no slight to Bryant. John Cena is one of the biggest wrestling stars since the days of Hulk Hogan. He has already broken the record for Make-A-Wish requests granted and now he holds this title, in addition to his 21 championship reigns in WWE.
At this time, Bryant stands at just under 18 million likes on Facebook, while Cena has jumped to 18.6 million likes and counting.
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