Vanessa Bryant Just Ended Her Feud With One Of The Biggest Companies In The World
Vanessa Bryant no longer has beef with Nike. In 2021, the widow of basketball star Kobe Bryant severed ties with Nike after accusing the company of selling shoes that honored her late daughter, Gianna, without her consent. At the time, Vanessa took to Instagram to express her disappointment, saying that she had seen people in possession of the shoes she helped design, and that the company failed to get her family's approval.
"Nike has NOT sent any of these pairs to me and my girls. I do not know how someone else has their hands on shoes I designed in honor of my daughter, Gigi and we don't," she wrote at the time. "I hope these shoes did not get sold." She also said that she initially planned on selling the shoes with the proceeds going straight to Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, an organization founded in honor of Kobe and Gianna, but decided not to push through. "The MAMBACITA shoes are NOT approved for sale. I wanted it to be sold to honor my daughter with ALL of the proceeds benefitting our @mambamambacitasports foundation, but I did not re-sign the Nike contract and decided not to sell these shoes."
Fast-forward to today, it looks like Vanessa has rekindled her professional relationship with the swoosh company.
Vanessa Bryant renewed her Nike partnership in honor of Kobe and Gianna
Vanessa Bryant has set aside her previous misunderstanding with Nike for a project honoring her late husband and daughter, Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant. She took to Instagram to announce that she will continue what she had initially planned, which was to sell products inspired by the two and donate the proceeds to their foundation.
"We're excited to announce our partnership with Nike is going to continue! I am so proud that my husband's shoes are still the most worn by players on NBA courts and that the demand for his shoes remain so desired by his fans around the world," she wrote. "With this new partnership, fans will soon be able to have access to Kobe and Gigi Nike product for years to come and with Nike donating 100% of the net proceeds yearly for Gianna's shoes to our Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation (M&MSF)."
Nike isn't the only sports brand making an effort to honor Kobe's legacy. Sportswear giant Adidas, which signed the athlete during his rookie years, is reported to bring back the "Kobe 1," his first signature sneaker with the brand, as well as "EQT Elevation," which Complex noted were the sneakers he donned during his 1997 rookie season. Since Kobe's official partner is Nike, Adidas won't be mentioning the basketball star in any of their ads, but fans will likely recognize the significance of these shoes. And at least they'll soon have plenty of options to commemorate the legacy of Kobe.