NBA star Kobe Bryant has reportedly signed a multi-million dollar deal with Chinese web company Sina.com, where he will blog several times a week.

According to NBC Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Lakers star player will get his own website portal where he will blog and provide exclusive web content to Sina.com, such as interviews, pictures and video of the ball player. However, there is a $49.95 subscription fee just to get access.

Bryant's agent, Rob Pelinka, explained why his client chose to sign with the company.

"During the Olympics in Beijing, Kobe had a handful of companies to consider for his first deal with a China-based company," said Pelinka. "Sina came to Kobe with a vision and Kobe saw it as a way to stay in touch with a huge fan base. He feels passionately about the people and culture of China and having been there as much as he has, those feelings are authentic."

Some fans are criticizing the fee, asking why an athlete of Bryant's stature would charge people to access his site.

NBC argues that most NBA stars of Kobe's caliber don't even regular update their official sites or even have one. They used Lebron James as an example, pointing to the official site for James' Lebron James Family Foundation (lebonrjamesff.org), which doesn't offer much as far as a look into the player's life.

So, for Kobe to take the time out to actually provide fans with an inside look, isn't it ok for him to charge for it? After all, he does get paid millions to play ball, so should he get paid to work in his free time?

Sound off in the comments section below.