*Latin name for the deadly snake – mamba
A lot happened during 2020 and unfortunately, it seems like most things were bad, but somehow we think that the tragically deceased Kobe Bryant with his famous mentality would not allow such circumstances to be a reason for negativity. We have already written a lot about his career, his sneakers, support for women/girls in basketball and his career after retirement from the NBA.
Honestly, given the global significance of everything he’s done and the millions he inspired (including big stars like Anthony Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, Sabrina Ionescu …) we will continue to write about the great Kobe Bryant, who died along with his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash on that infamous January 26, 2020.
Certainly, a better date to remember is August 23, 1978, when Kobe was born, and on the same date this year Nike will make the whole week Mamba Week for which another important date August 24 as a date that includes both numbers that he wore on his Lakers jersey. This day is also called Mamba Day, although occasionally for April 13 the same name is used because that is when Kobe played his last NBA game in 2016 and scored a whopping 60 points against the Jazz.
To start this celebration, Nike will donate a million dollars to the “Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation” whose goal is to encourage children to become active and bring about positive changes in their lives. The company will also continue to support the Mamba League organization for children’s basketball in Los Angeles and, ultimately, it will delight us with several hot editions of sneakers and one jersey.
This includes an amazing set of five Kobe Protro V colorways:
Kobe V Protro 5x Champ inspired by his championship jackets after winning the second and third titles with colors that fit perfectly with the Lakers jersey and which we first saw in the last All-Star game when Anthony Davis wore them.
Kobe V Protro Big Stage marking the tenth anniversary of Kobe’s 5th NBA title with details related to his accomplishments from the 2009-2010 season.
Kobe V Protro x Undefeated What If Pack with two pairs tied to June 1996 when Kobe was drafted. The “colorful” model includes colors of 12 NBA teams who did not want to pick a kid who just finished high school. The other pair includes colors of the teams that participated in his trade, and those were the Hornets and, of course, the Lakers.
Kobe V Protro Girls EYBL was inspired by Medusa – a mythical creature that froze its opponents. The message of this colorway should serve as an inspiration to young basketball players to become legendary.
Finally, there’s the Black Mamba City Edition jersey with a snakeskin print, numbers 8 and 24, and 16 stars for each of LA Lakers’ championships. According to the announcements, the team will wear these jerseys if/when they advance from the first round of this year’s playoffs.
We are especially happy that our offer will include the Black Mamba jersey in sizes for children and adults and some more Kobe products, which will be only sold in stores.