Kobe Bryant’s widow surprised sports and culture fans by deciding not to renew her late husband’s partnership with Nike.
Vanessa Bryant and the Kobe Bryant estate reportedly have grown increasingly frustrated by the limited availability of the late Black Mamba’s shoe line since his retirement and especially since his death in January 2020. She and the estate also are displeased that the Kobe shoe brand is not readily available in kids’ sizes, ESPN reports.
Therefore, after the five-year, post-retirement deal lapsed, Bryant is refusing to negotiate for another deal.
“Kobe’s Nike contract expired on 4/13/21,” she penned on her Instagram story. “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 across the globe. It seems fitting that more NBA players wear my husband’s product than any other signature shoe.”
ESPN also reports that Kobe Bryant’s “lifetime” deal was not on the same level as all-time greats Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Despite those misgivings, Vanessa Bryant wants fans across the globe to wear her late husband’s products.
“E! News” reports that Bryant already had told close associates that he planned to move on from Nike in December 2019, a month before he died.
Nike, for its part, still considers the Black Mamba integral to the shoe behemoth.
In a statement obtained by “E! News,” the company said, “Kobe Bryant was an important part of Nike’s deep connection to consumers. He pushed us and made everyone around him better. Though our contractual relationship has ended, he remains a deeply loved member of the Nike family.”
