Kobe Bryant
Mamba Memoriam: Kobe Bean Bryant’s Most Hip-Hop Moments
Source: Mark Davis / Getty It’s been one year since Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi were tragically taken from us and ultimately set the tone for the kind of dreadful year you’d expect to read about in sci-fi horror books. To honor the memory and legacy of the legendary Kobe Bean Bryant, HipHopWired compiled the ways that the NBA icon connected with the Hip-Hop culture throughout his career. Sure, many a rapper done dropped a Kobe reference or metaphor in their rhyme and paid homage to the Black Mamba, but Kobe himself has demonstrated several times over that Hip-Hop culture was ingrained into his personality. From attempting to become a rapper to using rap legends in his own commercials, Kobe’s presence and influence on the game, in multiple ways and varying nuances, has been well estab...
‘Tis The Season: Vanessa Bryant Gifts Kim Kardashian Kobe’s Rare ‘Grinch’ Nike Sneakers
Source: Nike / NIke Vanessa Bryant has blessed a few of her close friends with a rare gift this Christmas, a pair of her late husband, Kobe Bryant’s sneakers. According to published reports, Vanessa Bryant has gifted several of her famous friends with a pair of rare Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Grinch” sneakers, including Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Patty Rodriguez who all received a pair of the ultra rare kicks. “OMG Thank you [Vanessa] I’m screaming!!!” Jenner wrote on her Instagram Story. “Love my Kobe’s!!!” The ‘Grinch’ sneakers retail for about $130 to $180, but resellers are charging as much $1,700. The highly coveted Nikes weren’t made available to the public until Christmas Eve. Kobe first stepped out in the “Grinch” sneakers in 2010 before they became available to the public on C...
Vanessa Bryant Responds To Her Mother’s Lawsuit: “Her Claims Are Obviously False.”
Source: FREDERIC J. BROWN / Getty Vanessa Bryant has been thru a lot over the last year and it seems as if her mother plans to make her life even more difficult after filing lawsuit citing neglect and unpaid wages—and now Vanessa is speaking out. According to published reports, Vanessa Bryant’s mother, Sofia Laine, has filed a lawsuit against her daughter for financial support, claiming she worked unpaid as a “longtime personal assistant and nanny” for the family. Adding that before his untimely death on Jan. 26, Kobe had “promised to take care of” his mother-in-law “for the rest of her life.” On Thursday (Dec 17), Vanessa Bryant took to social media to speak out against the “hurtful” lawsuit, calling the suit an “extortion attempt” that her mom is trying to legalize in court. “M...
Spalding Releasing Limited-Edition Kobe Bryant Marbled Snake Basketball
Source: aqua / Spalding It’s still hard to believe that Kobe Bryant passed away this past January. Spalding is issuing a new limited-edition basketball to pay further homage to the basketball legend that left us way too soon. Source: Spalding / Spalding Releasing Wednesday, September 11, this will be the second installment in the Spalding x Kobe Bryant Marble Series. A longtime Spalding endorser, this rock is said to be inspired by the Mamba’s “self-awareness, curiosity, balance and obsession to detail.” Cornerstones of the Mamba Mentality, it’s an ethos that saw Kobe go from fresh out of high school NBA Draft pick into a basketball legend. The ball itself features white and black panels which denote the balance between strength and weakness as well as the physical and mental toughnes...
California Governor Signs “Kobe Bryant Law” Forbidding First Responders From Taking Pictures
Source: WENN/Avalon / WENN With the way that 2020 fell off a cliff in just a matter of months it feels like the tragic death of Kobe Bryant happened years ago. But we’re now reminded of the early days of this horrible year as California’s governor has just signed in a new law which was inspired by Kobe’s death. According to TMZ, Governor Gavin Newsom has just introduced the “Kobe Bryant Law” which forbids first responders from taking unauthorized pictures of a dead person at the scene of an accident. A situation that first became a problem when an officer at the scene used a picture of Kobe’s dead body to try to pick up a woman at a bar a few weeks after the accident. In total 8 of the local deputies have been accused of taking and sharing pictures of the tragic incident as there are no ru...
Pau Gasol Names Newborn Daughter After Kobe Bryant’s Daughter
Source: Elsa / Getty While Kobe Bryant’s legacy is sure to live on forever one of his former teammates is trying to make sure his daughter’s name is never forgotten. Pau Gasol is paying tribute to her in a big way. As spotted on TMZ the former NBA player recently brought a new child to this world with his wife. In what has to be one of the classiest moves by any professional athlete, the power forward took the opportunity to honor Kobe and his late daughter with the name selected. On Sunday (Sept. 13), Elisabet Gianna Gasol came into this world bearing the middle name of Gianna Bryant. He detailed his enthusiasm in both Spanish and English. “Our little one has finally arrived!! The delivery went really well and we couldn’t be happier!! Elisabet Gianna Gasol 😍, a very mea...
Kobe Bryant To Get Street By Staples Center Named After Him
Source: WENN/Avalon / WENN A basketball legend continues to get his much-deserved flowers. Kobe Bryant is getting a street named after him. As spotted on TMZ the late great is getting a unique commemoration within the community he became synonymous for. On Monday, August 24 the L.A. City Council President confirmed that planning is underway to title a public road in Mamba’s honor. “Figueroa St. will soon be Kobe Bryant Boulevard between Olympic & MLK,” Herb J. Wesson Jr. revealed. The drag in question extends from the Staples Center all the way to the University of California. “Kobe’s legacy is bigger than basketball. Kobe Bryant Blvd will be a reminder to everyone, young and old who drive down it, there is no obstacle too big and that with the #Mambamentality … anything is p...
Watch Nike’s Emotional & Inspirational Tribute To Kobe Bryant in ‘Better’
Source: Streeter Lecka / Getty This past Sunday (August 23), Nike officially kicked off Mamba Week in honor of the late and great Kobe Bryant, and with the release of exclusive sneakers and jerseys, the shoe and apparel giant also dropped a new film dedicated to the memory of the legendary Los Angeles Lakers superstar. Narrated by Kendrick Lamar, Better captures how Kobe drive to be the best and inspired others across the board to push themselves to become “better players, better mothers, and better artists,” as spit by K. Dot himself. From everyday people looking to better themselves and their health, to other athletes looking to be the “G.O.A.T” in their respective fields, Kobe Bryant indeed showed and proved that a little hard work and determination never hurt anybody. Damn, we mis...
Kendrick Lamar Narrates Kobe Bryant Tribute Video on What Would Have Been His 42nd Birthday
Kobe Bryant would have turned 42 today, and to celebrate the late NBA star’s birthday Nike shared a powerful tribute video narrated by Kendrick Lamar, aptly titled Better. “Kobe taught us to be better,” the rapper begins, highlighting Bryant’s Mamba Mentality of always striving to be better. “Better friend. Better fighter. Better rider. Better eater. Better leader. Better generation. Better nation,” Lamar spitfires later in the clip, as moments from Bryant’s legendary career flash on the screen, spliced with footage of other athletes and Black Lives Matter protests. “Just be better. Can you do that?” “Better player. Better shooter. Better scorer. Better G.O.A.T. Better G.O.A.T. Better mentor. Better minor. Major. Mover. Shaker,” he adds in rapid-fire delivery. “Better skater. Better a...
Kendrick Lamar Narrates Nike’s New Kobe Bryant Tribute Video: Watch
Nike is celebrating Kobe Bryant’s 42nd birthday with a new short film narrated by fellow Los Angeles great, Kendrick Lamar. Entitled Better, the film “celebrates the universal relevance of progress and highlights Kobe’s prolific desire for improvement,” Nike says. “The Mamba Mentality is about getting better, every day, in everything we do.” Kendrick echoes these sentiments throughout the clip: “Kobe taught us to be better,” K. Dot begins. “Better waker, better stretcher, better walker, better talker.” As the clip progresses, so too does the intensity of Kendrick’s articulation: “Better form, better focus, better friend, better fighter, better rider, better eater, better generation, better nation!” he continues. “Just be better. Can you do that?” Watch the full video below. ...
Nike Celebrates Kobe Bryant’s 42nd Birthday With Kendrick Lamar-Narrated Tribute: Watch
Happy birthday, Kobe Bryant. To help commemorate the late basketball legend’s 42nd birthday on Sunday (Aug. 23), Nike teamed up with Kendrick Lamar for a 90-second video highlighting Bryant’s Mamba Mentality of always striving to be better. In the inspirational video, appropriately titled Better, Lamar spits rapid-fire spoken word over a montage of clips from Bryant’s unforgettable career, mixed with footage of recent protests across the United States. “Better friend. Better fighter. Better rider. Better eater. Better leader. Better generation. Better nation,” Lamar says over a soft piano melody. “Just be better. Can you do that?” In a post on its website, Nike described the video as a celebration of the “universal relevance of progress and highlights Kobe’s prolifi...
Mamba Forever: Orange County California Declares August 24 “Kobe Bryant Day”
Source: Getty Images / Getty One of the greatest to ever step on the court is getting a special designation from an area that he brought so much joy too. Black Mamba will live forever on the west coast. As spotted on Hype Beast Kobe Bryant’s iconic legacy will have it’s own 24 hours in California. On Wednesday, August 12 the town of Orange County confirmed that August 24 will be known from here on as “Kobe Bryant Day”. While the declaration is a rare occasion the specifically chosen plays as a classy double entendre. This appointment not only pays homage to his countless contributions to the community but 8/24 is also a nod to the jersey numbers he wore during his memorable tenure as a Los Angeles Laker. Michelle Steel of Orange County’s Board of Supervisors detaile...
