There are only a few nicknames throughout sports history that immediately make you think of a specific player. Walter Payton’s “Sweetness”, Reggie Jackson, known as “Mr. October”, and the world’s worst man, John “Bones” Jones. In basketball, “The Black Mamba” has become the stuff of legends thanks to the late great Kobe Bryant. However, while Bryant made the nickname what it is today, it was almost certainly Michael Jordan who was given the nickname in 2003.
Check out our sneakers news for more upcoming releases and breaking content!
In a story by ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, Nike’s creators originally intended to link the “Black Mamba” nickname to Michael Jordan. While Jordan is widely known as the “Black Cat” for his jaguar-like actions on the court and multiple sneaker colorways with the nickname, the Mamba concept was born while developing the Air Jordan 19 sneakers.
Michael Jordan wanted a new concept for the 19th sneaker in his signature collection, leading a design team to invent the first laceless basketball sneaker. The weave locking system resembled snakeskin, so the creative team came up with the idea of branding Jordan as “The Black Mamba”.
Kobe Bryant emerging as “The Black Mamba”
As it turns out, Michael Jordan was “visibly uncomfortable” during the pitch because the creative team did not already know about Jordan’s fear of snakes. This mistake was entirely an afterthought, and Nike executives ran away from the idea for some time. That is, until Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers left Adidas and joined Nike in 2003.
The talented, yet controversial talent was then dubbed the new “Black Mamba”, an alter ego Bryant fully adopted with his mentality and play on the court. Being a fan of the “Kill Bill” films, Bryant was able to transform into the “Black Mamba” en route to winning five championship rings.
Nike Kobe Signature Line
The Nike Kobe Signature Line became a phenomenon in its own right, spanning across 12 name-bearing silhouettes and pioneering the design of some of the most popular basketball sneakers in the current landscape. Renowned Nike sneaker designer Eric Avar led the operation and really helped convey the Mamba Mentality through sneakers that would fit into that same vision.
Several designs, such as the Nike Kobe 3 and Nike Kobe 6, have taken inspiration directly from the snakes, while recent releases also carry on with the ‘Black Mamba’ moniker with an updated colorway. In the NBA today, Nike Kobe sneakers are the most worn shoes more than any other model.
passing the basketball
The Nike Kobe line not only dominates NBA footwear, but the hottest football cleats currently on the market are the Nike Kobe 6 PE sneakers—cleats that players have been wearing around the NFL. Athletes from all sports have been inspired by Kobe Bryant’s play on the court, but it is the Mamba Mentality that transcends all sports and speaks to the competitor in all of us.
Although “Black Mamba” might not have been the obvious choice for the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan, they couldn’t have found a better player to represent him as the “Black Mamba” than Kobe Bryant. He retained this nickname throughout his NBA career and addressed fans as “Mamba Out” for the last time in a Lakers uniform.
#Kobe #Bryant #Michael #Jordan #Nikes #Black #Mamba #pitch
