@jreed0614

Kobe Bryant has always been savvy about building his brand both on and off the court. That's why it's not surprising that he sat in on some marketing classes at Boston College Thursday.

Bryant has been traveling with the Los Angeles Lakers despite being unable to play with a fractured knee. The team arrived in Beantown Jan. 16 for its Friday game with the Boston Celtics, and Kobe opted for some higher learning over pints at Cheers.

The Black Mamba made a seamless transition to Twitter, and he's clearly eyeing financial opportunities beyond basketball as his 35-year-old body begins to betray him.

Bryant returned from an Achilles injury and played six games in mid-December before sustaining his current knee injury. He averaged 13.8 points on 42.5 percent shooting with 4.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 5.7 turnovers per game.

It seems like Kobe is already pretty darn good at marketing. He inked a two-year contract extension with the Lakers on Nov. 25—one worth $48.5 million. Of course, that was before he fractured his knee.

Kudos to Kobe for taking time out to inspire the youth of America—and to send them immediately flocking to their smartphones to tweet about it.

H/t Ananth Pandian of Hardwood Paroxysm.