His other high school number, 33, was already retired by the Lakers to honor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. For the season and beyond, until his retirement in , the NBA icon went back to the number he wore in his earlier basketball years: No. Bryant said ahead of retirement:.
Then 24 is a growth from that. Physical attributes aren't there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater. Marriage, kids. Start having a broader perspective being one of the older guys on the team now, as opposed to being the youngest. Things evolve. Bryant often reflected on his early basketball days. In his Oscar winning short film "Dear Basketball," Kobe reflected on how no matter what, he would always be that kid who fell in love with a game. He said No. So while No.
Vanessa Bryant revealed in a series of social media posts earlier this week that she was blindsided upon seeing an image of a shoe she helped design, a black and white "Mamba Forever" special edition of the Nike Kobe 6 Protro, from her late husband Kobe Bryant's signature series with the brand. The specific colorway in question, featuring subtle gold accents throughout, was created as a tribute to her daughter, Gianna.
The sneakers, designed in conjunction with Nike nearly a year ago, were originally scheduled to be released this summer before being placed on indefinite hold after Vanessa and the Kobe Bryant Estate elected not to renew the contract with Nike this year. The heel counter features the names "Kobe" and "Gigi" on opposite shoes, along with the "Mamba M" logo that the Kobe Bryant Estate fully owns the rights to.
The shoes, created after the Jan. Nike has NOT sent any of these pairs to me and my girls. I do not know how someone else has their hands on shoes I designed in honor of my daughter, Gigi and we don't.
I hope these shoes did not get sold. The confusion around the potential release of the shoes stems from a variety of calendar quirks surrounding the footwear manufacturer's timeline, detailed contract clauses heading into the expiration window and a crucial shipping error both to and from a UK-based official Nike retailer. The shoes were in fact not officially released as Nike does not plan to do so until a new agreement is reached with Vanessa and the Kobe Bryant Estate, according to sources.
Nike officials were not available for comment when contacted by ESPN. Contacted for further comment, Vanessa Bryant was unavailable. She celebrated her daughter Natalia's high school graduation this weekend. The original Kobe Bryant endorsement extension contract with Nike was a five-year agreement beginning on the date of the Lakers star's final NBA game in It expired on April That timeline is well in advance of the contract's expiration.
There was an anticipation of a summer release until contract talks stalled in April and halted those plans. Typically, sneaker samples in specific colorways of future retail launches are created in size 9 about a year in advance and receive "final confirmation sign-off" about eight months in advance, allowing a window for subtle tweaks to be made and execution before going into production.
The Initial Production Week, or IPW, is then scheduled to begin at the brand's factory partners in Asia, anywhere from five to eight months in advance of a release date, with production for a full run of pairs requiring a span of a couple months to be completed. For signature sneakers that also require an endorsement contract between a partner and the brand, a clause deep in every contract provides the company the ability to place a sneaker into production in advance of an expiration date, if retail orders have already been placed against the design to be fulfilled, and still sell the shoe after a contract has expired.
Though rare, there are some instances in which this has happened in the industry, such as when John Wall 's Adidas JWall 2 sneaker was released at retail during the fall of , after his contract with the company had expired that October.
While the Bryant contract expired in April, another colorway of the Kobe 6 did recently release overseas in May, with an expected June 11 U. The white, black and del sol yellow design was dubbed the "Playoff Pack" edition a decade ago, and is an original colorway worn by Bryant during the tail end of the season. The POP colorway has largely been expected to be the last Nike Kobe release for the foreseeable future, while contract negotiations continue.
Vanessa Bryant says there will be "2 more drops" of Kobe releases. Not the getting blown out part, but, well, you know Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.
By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Filed under:. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. It means he gets to speak to the media. Well, sort of.
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