Earlier this week, Nike cryptically teased a Kobe Bryant-related project set to be unveiled today. The first teaser was an image of Kobe from the 2008 Olympic gold medal game, during which he "hushed" the Beijing crowd after making a 4-point play that helped the Redeem Team win the tournament. No additional details were given at the time, but the wait for a reveal wasn't long.
As promised, the 'That's Mamba' activations launched today. Billboards around the country, including New York City, recalled moments in Kobe's career when he played through adversity such as injury. To accompany the ads, Nike released a short clip featuring a young athlete shooting a basketball left-handed with a cast on their presumably dominant right hand. If that sounds familiar, Kobe himself famously showed up to Lakers practice and did the same after breaking his right hand in 1999. Those displays of mental toughness and sheer determination went on to define who Kobe was as a competitor throughout his career, hence the tagline That's Mamba.
Ironically, Kobe's cast-wearing practice took place while he was under contract with Adidas and you can even see him wearing the brand's sneakers in the full version of Nike's advertisement. It appears that the company chose to tell an authentic story over brand warfare in this instance.
This all, at least in part, seems to be centered around the upcoming launch of the "Black Mamba" Nike Kobe 4 Protro. The all-black release and an accompanying "Mamba Mentality" apparel range will be available on Dec. 27 via Nike's SNKRS app.
