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Nick DePaulaESPN
With the five-month extension of Kobe Bryant, following the withdrawal, with Nike, which would expire this month, Vanessa Bryant and the Kobe Bryant estate chose not to renew the partnership, ESPN confirmed in a statement Monday night .
“Kobe’s Nike contract expired on 4/13/21,” Vanessa Bryant told ESPN. “Kobe and Nike have made some of the most beautiful basketball shoes of all time, worn and loved by fans and athletes of all sports around the world. It seems appropriate that there be more NBA players wearing the product. of my husband than any other designer shoe “.
According to a source, Bryant and the estate had been frustrated with Nike’s limitation on the availability of the Kobe product during his retirement and after his death in January 2020 in a helicopter crash. There was also frustration over the lack of availability of Kobe footwear in children’s sizes, according to sources, which presumably should be worn by both young boys and young women who are starting to practice this sport.
Nike, according to sources, had submitted an extension offer that did not conform to expectations or an ongoing “for life” structure, such as the Nike Inc. contracts. maintained by both Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
“My hope will always be to allow Kobe fans to get and carry their products,” Vanessa Bryant said. “I will continue to fight for it. Kobe products are sold in seconds. That says it all.
“I was hoping to forge a lifelong partnership with Nike that would reflect my husband’s legacy. We will always do our best to honor the legacies of Kobe and Gigi. That will never change.”
It is believed that all future versions of Kobe Bryant branded footwear and clothing manufactured by Nike will be stopped. The Kobe Bryant estate could start negotiations with outside brands to form a new partnership.
Vanessa Bryant also confirmed to ESPN that the property of Kobe Bryant owns the rights to the “Mamba” logo and its signature. According to a source, the “Sheath” logo that often appears on the tongue of Nike’s Kobe sneakers is mutually owned by both parties.
“Kobe Bryant was an important part of Nike’s deep connection to consumers,” Nike told ESPN in a statement. “He pushed us and improved everyone around him. Even though our contractual relationship is over, he remains a much-loved member of the Nike family.”
After scoring 60 points in his last NBA game on April 13, 2016 – christened “Mamba Day” by Nike in an extravagant farewell campaign, Bryant had a five-year overtime contract in place. years that the association would continue until its retirement.
Before he died, Bryant had explored the notion of creating his own Mamba brand at the expiration of Nike’s existing deal, even meeting in December 2019 with a creative agency that could help design and run a future series of products.
After originally signing with Nike in 2003, Bryant created a striking collaboration with the brand that spanned the rest of his career at the Hall of Fame. He titled sneakers like the Zoom Huarache 2K4 and 2K5, the industry-changing Hyperdunk at the 2008 Olympics and 11 exclusive models in the Nike Kobe series.
With the release of Kobe 4, during the resurgent season of Bryant’s 2008-09 championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, the design of the sneakers ushered in a new era of low tops in the entire league. Once carried by a handful of punctual guards from all 30 teams, the low tops soon after were seen in players from all positions, from all teams. Nearly half of the league now wears low-top sneakers to games.
Once he retired from the NBA, a series of Retro and newly created sneakers were released in the last five years. Bryant coined the term “Protro,” based on the idea that he wanted to update his past shoes with modern constructions and technologies: an updated Pro-level Retro edition of his past shoes.
Several of Nike’s best unsigned athletes have made a game routine with Kobe sneakers, both for love of performance and for a continual tribute. In recent seasons, Devin Booker, PJ Tucker, DeMar DeRozan, Buddy Hield, Isaiah Thomas and several others have created their own Kobe Protro model color players to continue their legacy of sneakers.
The Kobe 1, 4, 5 and 6 were re-launched through this slow Protro in recent years. During the resumption of NBA bubbles in the 2019-20 season, 102 players wore a Kobe brand sneaker, most of the league’s sneaker line.