As a player, he won multiple awards including five NBA championships, alongside becoming an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and, two-time NBA Finals MVP winner. Off court, Kobe Bryant inspired young girls and boys, as well as other basketball players through his Mamba Mentality and the Mamba League he founded in partnership with Nike.
His tragic death with his daughter Gianna and seven others earlier this year stunned the whole world, and weeks after their death, millions remained inconsolable. To honour this legend and continue his legacy, Nike has announced a week-long programme named “Mamba Week”. It will involve a $1 million donation to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, an amplification of Kobe’s message through the Mamba League, and an extension of Kobe’s legacy of inspiration and innovation through select Kobe products.
Providing inspiration through Kobe products.
Explaining further, Nike says it “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.”
The posthumous collection will feature Kobe 5 Protro with three in-line styles and two UNDEFEATED collaborations, alongside a special snakeskin-printed jersey. The Kobe 5 Protros “Big Stage” which follows Nike’s pre-existing budget-friendly takedown shoe, dubbed Mamba Rage, will be presented in victorious white, black and gold colour scheme – utilizing bold “Parade” print in black instead of PE blue on the left shoe’s lateral side and the right shoe’s medial side, as a crisp tonal “Big Stage” is plastered along the left shoe’s medial half and the right shoe’s lateral half.
In an ode to Kobe’s fifth NBA championship and his accomplishments in the 2009-10 season, the Kobe 5 Protros “5x Champion”, will showcase a purple, gold and black colour, taking inspiration from Jeff Hamilton’s bespoke jackets with a sleek finish – whilst the “Girls EYBL” will take the form of a scaly green, gold and white, sneaker-Medusa capable of freezing opponents with a single stare.
Further supplemented with apparel by long-time Nike Basketball partner, UNDEFEATED, the “What If” pack reminisces Kobe’s fateful journey into the Lakers. Having first been drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA Draft, Kobe was swiftly traded to the team he eventually brought significant glory. As a result, the “What If” apparel showcase both an assemblage of colours associated with the 12 teams that passed him up, and pay respect to the legend’s unparalleled work ethic and championship greatness.
With a staggered release schedule, the Kobe 5 Protros “Big Stage” will be the first to drop on 23rd August 2020, followed by the “5x Champion” and special jersey one day later, the release of UNDEFEATED’s “What If” pack on August 27th, and finally the “Girls EYBL” on August 29th. The full collection will be available on Nike SNKRS.
Source: Nike