Bryant-Messi Turkish Airlines ad hits 90 million views on YouTube

Kobe Bryant’s video for Turkish Airlines with Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi has reached 90 million views on YouTube.

An airborne Bryant and Messi compete for the attention of a young boy, escalating to the absurd until ice cream trumps both stars’ antics.

Bryant has represented Turkish Airlines for a number of years. He’s also a soccer buff and fan of Messi.

The video was initially published on YouTube on Dec. 6, garnering an impressive number of hits in a scant 2-1/2 weeks.

Whether it’s Bryant’s appeal or Messi’s, their collaboration far exceeded the reach of Dwight Howard’s recent video for Foot Locker, which came out Dec. 7 and has slightly under a million views.

Bryant has been a “Global Brand Ambassador� for Turkish Airlines since 2010.

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Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.