The late NBA icon Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players to ever step on the basketball court; he left a legacy behind that will remain one of the best ones in the NBA. It was recently revealed that Kobe once thought of establishing his own shoe brand because he didn’t trust Nike.
Kobe and Nike did not always agree on decisions when it came to Kobe’s line of shoes. The former Lakers star signed with Nike in 2003, making a move from Adidas to the brand popularised by Michael Jordan. However, things didn’t sit right between them at one point in time.
Kobe Bryant once wanted to create his own brand
Kobe Bryant was not your usual NBA player; he was a very strict man when it came to his life on the court. He always used to push himself more than everyone else and had this insane competitive drive only matched by the great Michael Jordan. He was not the nicest teammate and often got into quarrels with them; his former teammate once revealed that Kobe did not talk to him even once despite being together for two seasons. This was all part of his infamous “Mamba” mentality, which allowed him to be one of the greatest players ever to play the game.
Kobe was very strict with the things that carried his name; he did not trust Nike with the design of his line of shoes and thought of establishing his own shoe brand. Venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar recently revealed that Kobe was not happy with the treatment that Nike gave to his lineup of shoes. The Kobe shoes are not the most popular ones on the market and the late NBA icon blamed the sports giant for it.
He had decided to leave Nike in 2020 and start his own shoe company named “Mamba” but unfortunately, he passed away in a tragic helicopter crash that took the lives of seven more people, including Kobe and his daughter.
Pishevar believed Kobe was about to do something in the sneaker business that would have surpassed his sports career; however, sadly, we never got to see that.
How much did Kobe Bryant earn through his Nike contract
Kobe Bryant was the hottest basketball star of his time; anything with his name on it was selling like hotcakes and Nike spotted the great opportunity to bag the NBA superstar under their banner in 2003 after his contract with Adidas had expired. Kobe initially signed a 4-year deal for $10 million a year with the sports giant.
However, the greatest tragedy for Kobe Bryant in his prime struck him soon after that. He was accused of sexually assaulting a minor and the news made the headlines. Kobe’s reputation was dragged into the mud and most of the endorsements he had signed or was going to sign pulled back their offers or terminated their contract with him.
Despite this, the Black Mamba continued to work with Nike; it is estimated that he had earned a total of $75 million from Nike’s endorsement deals.
The matter affected Kobe’s personal life as well, as his wife Vanessa Bryant gave him a divorce and the NBA legend had to win her over once again. Later on, Bryant cleared his name and carried on to finish his career. His impact on the world was far greater than one can imagine, as recently Vinicius Jr. a popular soccer player got a tattoo of Bryant to immortalize him on his back.
What do you think of Kobe Bryant’s decision to start his own sneaker company? Would you have bought the “Mamba” shoes if they had come out? We are eager to know your thoughts, so drop them down in the comments and let us know.
