Kobe Bryant (Credits – Sneaker Freaker and Fox Business)

Kobe Bryant had one of the most legendary careers in the NBA. Today, he is remembered as arguably one of the greatest players of all time based on what he was able to contribute to the game. The Los Angeles Lakers player influenced a lot of people and also embarked on a great journey following retirement. However, his signature shoes were some of Nike’s biggest releases to date as well. But it turns out, Bryant did not feel great about Nike at some point.

A popular figure in the world of transportation, Shervin Pishevar revealed that the Lakers legend wanted to leave Nike and create his shoe brand. Pishevar said, “I met with Kobe Bryant in late December 2019. Kobe wasn’t happy with Nike and was going to leave it in 2020. Kobe was going to start Mamba, a shoe company owned by players. He passed away weeks later. What he was about to do in business was going to eclipse his sports career.”

Turns out, Kobe Bryant was not happy with how the sports apparel brand handled his signature shoe line. He was unhappy with how they managed sales, Kobe felt that had poor marketing and promotion strategies, which is why he wanted to take matters into his own hands. However, Pishevar claimed that the NBA legend passed away a few weeks after they had a conversation. He died on January 26, 2020, along with his daughter Gianna and seven other individuals.

Nike decided to relaunch the Kobe Bryant line

Following his death, Nike was already entering the final year of his contract. Vanessa Bryant and Nike did not have any intention of renewing Kobe Bryant’s contract with the brand either. At one point, the company also released a signature version of Kobe’s shoes which were designed in remembrance of Gianna. Vanessa claimed that Nike released the shoe without her permission.

While she was initially infuriated by this move, Vanessa soon acknowledged the positive feedback the release had been getting from fans all over the world. At this time, Kobe Bryant’s contract was already over and Vanessa didn’t want to sign a new deal to continue the signature line. But in 2023, Vanessa and Nike agreed and signed another deal.

Vanessa claimed that the revenue generated from this deal would be donated to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. Since then, she has been working on new releases with Nike. The brand has also been signing various sports programs around the country to be sponsored by Bryant’s signature line. The Kentucky Wildcats were the first college team to be sponsored by Kobe’s brand under Nike.