On January 26, 2020, the world mourned the tragic loss of a great basketball legend and his 13-year-old daughter. Kobe Bryant, one of NBA’s most iconic basketball players and his daughter Gianna Bryant, passed away in a helicopter crash, leaving the world struck with grief.
Eight months later, in celebration of his birthday (Aug 23), Nike kicked off ‘Mamba Week’ as a tribute to the Black Mamba legend, honoring his career achievements and legacy.
A Look Back at the Basketball Legend
In the ranks of legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant (aka Black Mamba), was one of the most successful and influential players in NBA history. This prowess was evident since his early days, as one of the top basketball players at Lower Merion High School, Pennsylvania.
While born in Philadelphia, Bryant spent much of his youth in Italy. When he returned to the states, the son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, began to gain recognition for his talent. Drafted by the NBA in 1996, Bryant was selected by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th overall pick and was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he cemented his fame and legacy.
Image via CNBC
From his memorable dunks in the ‘97 Slam Dunk Contest to his friendly feud with fellow Lakers player Shaquille O’Neal, Bryant quickly became a fan favourite, leading the Lakers together into three consecutive NBA championships, from the years 2000 to 2002. This was a feat quite rare and unseen since the likes of Michael Jordan.
The spotlight fell on Bryant when Shaquille O’Neal was traded to another team after their loss in 2004. From professional pressures to sexual assault allegations riddling his personal life since 2003, the ‘Black Mamba’ was pushed into a corner.
Yet, despite the hardships, Bryant pulled through it all, leading the NBA scoreboards during the 2005-2007 seasons. In 2006, Bryant broke records, as he scored 81 points in a single game, just behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point record.
Image via Inc.com
A few years after, in 2009 and 2010, Bryant led the Lakers to two more championships and was crowned the NBA Finals MVP for both victories. This magnificence persisted throughout the remainder of his career, despite suffering from several season-ending injuries to both his knee and shoulder.
Retiring in 2015-16, Bryant left the NBA a legend, with a multitude of accolades under his belt. From being the first guard in NBA history to playing 20 seasons to receiving 18 NBA All-Star designations, Kobe Bryant gained icon status and rightfully so. Winning two gold medals in 2008 and 2012, Bryant also won four All-Star MVP Awards, the most in NBA history. At the age of 34 in 2012, he had scored 30,000 points and became the youngest player in NBA history to obtain this milestone.
Losing Black Mamba
On January 26, 2020, Bryant was discovered to have passed away, along with his daughter Gianna and some friends, in a helicopter crash. The death was pronounced to be due to blunt force trauma upon collision.
Photo by Fred Kearney on Unsplash
With the world in utter despair from the news, many people mourned the loss of the legend, as his legacy and achievements in the NBA had garnered hope in the hearts of many. Bryant’s childhood hero and friend, fellow basketball legend Michael Jordan, shed his tears and spoke on the death by simply stating,
“When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died.”
Remembering Kobe with Mamba Week
As a way to remember his time in the NBA, Nike has put out multiple releases of Kobe 5 silhouettes, inline with Bryant’s 42nd birth anniversary. Labeled as ‘Mamba Week,’ the world was welcomed with five beautiful sneakers, each one paying tribute to the legend.
Shop the Nike Kobe 5 Protro ‘Big Stage’ on Novelship
The beautiful silhouette and plush gold and black colourway of the Nike Kobe 5 Protro ‘Big Stage’ pays tribute to the 10-year anniversary of the fifth championship that the Black Mamba won for the LA Lakers.
Shop the Nike Zoom Kobe 5 Protro ‘5X Champ’ on Novelship
Dressed in the colourway of the jackets worn after the second and third victory, this sneaker is a nod to the championships led by Bryant for the Lakers.
Shop the Undefeated x Nike Zoom Kobe 5 Protro ‘What If Pack’ Special Box on Novelship
The collaboration between Undefeated and Nike introduces two different silhouettes, the ‘Dirty Dozen’ and ‘Unlucky 13’, dressed in the colourways of the NBA teams that overlooked Bryant. The ‘What if’ Pack is inspired by what could have been NBA history had he been drafted by any of the other teams or stayed with the Charlotte Hornets.
Shop the Nike Kobe 5 Protro ‘EYBL’ on Novelship
The silhouette is a co-branded release with the European Youth Basketball League, and maybe the closest to paying tribute to Bryant’s daughter, who died with him in the crash. The sneaker’s colourway is inspired by the mythological character Medusa known for her stony gaze
In addition to Mamba Week exclusive releases , Nike announced a $1M USD contribution to the Mambacita Sports Foundation to honour the legend.
From the weighted words of Jordan to the respect paid by titans of the industry like Nike, there is no doubt how much Kobe Bryant has impacted the world at large, far beyond sports alone. With his sudden death, millions of young boys and girls remember the legend, spending this past week celebrating the influence that the Black Mamba had on us all, forever.