Connect with us

NBA

Nike Continues Kobe Tributes With ‘Mamba Week’

Nike Continues Kobe Tributes With ‘Mamba Week’

Kobe Bryant continues to get the respect he deserves.  Nike has announced that it will launch more tributes via “Mamba Week” in order to honor the NBA Hall of Famer’s basketball career, as well as his longtime fellowship and huge impact on the sports industry.

Mamba Week will begin on Sunday, August 23, which will match with what would have been the Los Angeles Lakers figure’s 42nd birthday.

Kobe Bryant Gets Tributes From Mamba Week

The second day of Mamba Week, August 24, will celebrate both of the jersey numbers worn during Bryant’s 20-year sports career, 8 and 24.  Mamba Week aims to recognize Nike’s effort to memorialize Bryant’s final game, which took place on April 13, 2016.  His performance at Staples Center, known as “Mamba Day,” had the opportunity to see him quit the NBA with a 60-point score.

BetMGM NJ, PA, IN, CO, NJ, MI, IA, LA, MS, OH

$1000 Risk Free Bet

T&C APPLY | NJ, PA, IN, CO, NJ, MI, IA, LA, MS, OH ONLY Join Now

The programming and product launches of the event will be the first time Nike has brought up Bryant’s signature sneakers or jerseys since his demise back in January, when Kobe, his daughter, Gianna, and seven other individuals were killed in a helicopter crash while heading to the Mamba Sports Academy for a basketball championship. Nike worked very hard along with Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, to have all the details perfect for the upcoming celebration.

Nike To Continue Honoring Bryant’s Legacy

In the beginning, there were doubts after Bryant’s death concerning the company’s decision for Kobe sneaker series.  That included 11 signature models during his sports career and another six signature models brought to the market after his retirement.  But the good thing is that, after meetings that took place across several months, Nike has a commitment to honor Bryant through product launches that will aid funding for youth sports projects.

Nike is very committed to keeping alive Bryant’s legacy through things like Mamba Week.  The company said in a statement, “Nike will continue to release Kobe Protro shoes, allowing the millions of fans he inspired around the world to keep Bryant’s legacy going.  Nike will also continue to work with the NBA to release limited quantities of Bryant’s iconic Los Angeles Lakers jersey.”

This is a strong indication that Nike is going to great lengths to pay homage to Kobe and keep his spirit among his many fans around the world alive.  The “Protro” term was coined by Bryant during a series of meetings held along with Nike designers to talk about where his business line was going after his retirement.

Kobe also showed himself as a great businessperson with lots of innovative ideas.  In 2018, he said, “We’re always looking to build on things that we’ve done in the past and try to improve them.  Protro is about evolution and improving on things that were,” adding, “I wanted to build a business that wasn’t just based on things I have done in the past.

BetMGM NJ, PA, IN, CO, NJ, MI, IA, LA, MS, OH

$1000 Risk Free Bet

T&C APPLY | NJ, PA, IN, CO, NJ, MI, IA, LA, MS, OH ONLY Join Now

It is important that the brand stands for performance and that everything we do is innovative. Even if we are releasing shoes from the past, they still must be built on performance.” The Protro 4 had an enormous impact because it was worn by more than 104 players during the fall of 2019.

The Koby Protro Is As Iconic As The Legend Himself

Nike expects to launch several different colors of the Protro 5, which Bryant wore in the 2009-10 season en route to his fifth championship, during Mamba Week.  The sports apparel company will also launch Lakers jerseys showing both Kobe’s No. 8 and No. 24, with the front of the jersey celebrating the first decade of his career and his second number on the back.

As a part of Kobe’s legacy, the Nike Foundation will donate $1 million to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports organization to honor Kobe and Gianna. Its mission is to make a strong impact through sports and to help kids have better social and living environments.

In 2018, Kobe wrote a book entitled, “The Mamba Mentality,” which revealed the motivation that led him to have such an ethical perspective during his NBA career.  This has caused that players around the league to still wear his sneakers and often remember the “Mamba Mentality” as a way to keep inspired and in memory of Bryant’s unforgettable legacy this week, and every week in the sports world.

BetMGM NJ, PA, IN, CO, NJ, MI, IA, LA, MS, OH

$1000 Risk Free Bet

T&C APPLY | NJ, PA, IN, CO, NJ, MI, IA, LA, MS, OH ONLY Join Now

Erik is a writer and a sports nut who has had the good fortune to be able to experience a wide variety of world sports action up close and personal. He enjoys staying on top of the changing world of athletics and capitalizing on his writing skills to offer a unique take on what's going on in the ever-changing athletics ecosystem.

More in NBA

Get Free Picks & Exclusive Offers