Kobe Bryant’s Health & Fitness Weekend last September won the Middle East Event Awards 2014. AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Safe to say Kobe Bryant will not put this honor next to his five NBA rings or his two Finals MVP awards.

But the Lakers’ star received an award for something perhaps more far reaching than collecting championship hardware. His three-day health and fitness event in Abu Dhabi and Dubai aimed to address diabetic issues last September was considered the best special event in the 2014 Middle East Event Awards.

The event, organized by Maven Marketing Events, entailed Bryant hosting a series of basketball clinics and Nike-related functions. That included a celebrity basketball game at the American University of Dubai, a press conference at DMCC headquarters at Almas Tower, a youth basketball-skills clinic held at GEMS American Academy, and a promotion at the Nike store in Dubai mall. Bryant also coached a game in which his team won 72-63 against the Real Madrid Basketball Legends. After that, Bryant soon took a plane to Los Angeles for the Lakers’ Media Day.

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