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Nick DePaulaESPN
With the extension of Kobe Bryant’s five-year approval contract with Nike, which expires this month, Vanessa Bryant and Kobe Bryant’s property have chosen not to renew the partnership, ESPN confirmed in a statement Monday night.
“Kobe’s Nike contract expired on 13/04/21,” Vanessa Bryant told ESPN. “Kobe and Nike have made some of the most beautiful basketball shoes of all time, worn and adored by fans and athletes in all sports around the world. It seems appropriate for more NBA players to wear my husband’s product than any other signed shoe. “
According to a source, Bryant and the property had become frustrated that Nike was limiting 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 shoes in children’s sizes, according to sources, probably to be worn by both young boys and young girls who are just starting out in sports.
Nike, the sources said, presented an expansion offer that was not in line with expectations or a continuous “life” structure such as the Nike Inc. contracts. owned by both Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
“My hope will always be to allow Kobe fans to buy and wear his products,” said Vanessa Bryant. “I will continue to fight for this. Kobe’s products sell out in seconds. That says it all.
“I was hoping to have a lifelong partnership with Nike that would reflect my husband’s legacy. We will always do everything we can to honor Kobe and Gigi’s legacies. That will never change.”
It is believed that all future releases of Kobe Bryant footwear and clothing manufactured by Nike will be stopped. The Kobe Bryant domain could enter into negotiations with foreign brands to form a new partnership.
Vanessa Bryant also confirmed to ESPN that the property of Kobe Bryant owns both the rights to the “Mamba” logo and its signature. The “Sheath” logo, often displayed in the language of Nike’s Kobe sneakers, is held by both parties, according to a source.
“Kobe Bryant has been an important part of Nike’s deep connection with consumers,” Nike told ESPN in a statement. “He pushed us and improved everyone around us. Although our contractual relationship is over, he remains a deeply loved member of the Nike family.”
After scoring 60 points in his last NBA game on April 13, 2016 – nicknamed “Mamba Day” by Nike in an extravagant farewell campaign, Bryant had a five-year contract extension that will continue the partnership until upon his withdrawal.
Before he died, Bryant had explored the notion of creating his own Mamba brand at the expiration of the existing Nike agreement, meeting in December 2019 with a creative agency that could help design and execute a future series of products.
After initially signing with Nike in 2003, Bryant formed an impactful partnership with the brand that extended into the rest of his career in the Hall of Fame. He mentioned sneakers such as Zoom Huarache 2K4 and 2K5, Hyperdunk that changed the industry at the 2008 Olympics and 11 signed Nike Kobe series models.
With the launch of the Kobe 4, during the invigorating season of the Bryant 2008-09 championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, the sneaker design ushered in a new era of low tops in the entire league. Once worn by only a handful of goalkeepers in all 30 teams, the short low peaks were observed on players from all positions, on each team. Almost half of the league now wears low-top sneakers in games.
Once he retired from the NBA, a series of retro and newly created sneakers were launched in the last five years. Bryant coined the term “Protro” based on the idea that he wanted to improve his past shoes with modern construction and technology – a retro-updated Pro edition of his past sneakers.
Some of Nike’s most important athletes have made a game routine in Kobe sneakers, both out of love for performance characteristics and as a continuous tribute. In recent seasons, Devin Booker, PJ Tucker, DeMar DeRozan, Buddy Hield, Isaiah Thomas and a few others have created their own player exclusive colors of Kobe Protro models to continue the legacy of their sneakers.
Kobe 1, 4, 5 and 6 have been relaunched with the help of the Protro lens in recent years. During the bubble replay of the NBA in the 2019-20 season, 102 players wore a Kobe sneaker, most of the sneaker line of any player in the league.