The estate of Kobe Bryant parted ways with Nike in April 2021. It was fairly shocking news, with Nike having worked with the NBA legend since 2003. However, the relationship had been strained since Kobe's retirement in 2016. Sales had stagnated, and Nike's marketing team had shifted focus to the signature brands of active NBA players.
Things had gotten bad enough that in December 2020, venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar revealed that he had been in talks with Bryant to launch a player-owned brand called Mamba. Reportedly, things had progressed to the point where Pishevar had seen mockups for a potential debut shoe in the Mamba line. After the contract expired, Nike has released a handful of lines. Namely, these were the Gigi Bryant-inspired retros of the Kobe 4 and Kobe 6. A release of a new Kobe 8 all-white variant was expected later in 2023. However, it appears that it is the start of something much bigger for the relationship.
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Nike CEO Confirms Return Of Kobe Brand
Speaking on a Q4 earning call, Nike CEO John Donahue confirmed that the Kobe 8 release was just the start. In fact, Nike was looking at the launch of a new era of Kobe shoes. "It's going to be an exciting summer as we set the stage to relaunch the Kobe brand in advance of Kobe Day on 8.24," Donahue said. While further details about what the "relaunch" entails in the long run, it is likely that Nike will be investing more in the Kobe brand going forward.
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Releases of the Nike Kobe 6 Protro ‘Reverse Grinch’ and Nike Kobe 4 Protro “Black/Metallic Gold” are both expected to be released during the 2023 holiday season. However, the news could suggest that there will be on the way in 2023 and beyond. This comes after news in 2022 that suggested that Vanessa Bryant reached some sort of deal with Nike. However, this is a developing story and we'll have any updates here at HotNewHipHop. What's your favorite Kobe shoe? Let us know in the comments. Furthermore, be sure to follow all the latest sneaker news here on the site.
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