Vanessa Bryant and the Kobe Bryant estate reportedly elected not to renew its partnership with Nike after their contract expired last April 13. Yup, this will likely signal the end of Nike's Kobe Bryant signature line. Previous reports indicated that Kobe was no longer happy with his Nike deal and was leaning towards making his own brand prior to his untimely passing last year.
Most pundits believe this is the main reason behind the surprising development. But as it turns out, there's more to it than meets the eye. According to a source of ESPN's Nick DePaula, Vanessa Bryant was also left discontented by the limited supplies of her husband's shoes following his demise.
Vanessa Bryant to ESPN (1/3):
"Kobe & Nike have made some of the most beautiful basketball shoes of all time, worn and adored by fans and athletes in all sports across the globe. It seems fitting that more NBA players wear my husband's product than any other signature shoe.”— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) April 20, 2021
Vanessa Bryant to ESPN (2/3):
"My hope will always be to allow Kobe's fans to get and wear his products. I will continue to fight for that. Kobe's products sell out in seconds. That says everything.”
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) April 20, 2021
Vanessa Bryant to ESPN (3/3):
“I was hoping to forge a lifelong partnership with Nike that reflects my husband’s legacy. We will always do everything we can to honor Kobe and Gigi's legacies. That will never change.”
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) April 20, 2021
While Kobe Bryant remained a popular figure among fans even upon his retirement from the NBA in 2016, Nike somehow limited the availability of his products over the years leading to his tragic death. Vanessa was also reportedly frustrated with the lack of footwear sizes for kids. She posted this plea in December last year, during the re-release of the Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Grinch” last December.
Message from Vanessa Bryant about her and Nike trying to get more pairs of Kobe’s shoes into fans’ hands. pic.twitter.com/n4H3N7s8mi
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) December 24, 2020
Given Kobe's stature as one of the GOATs of basketball, the public consensus is he'll have a lifetime deal with Nike like their contracts with Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be in the cards anymore. Kobe Bryant's legacy, meanwhile, will live on forever and it's a shame if his own signature line will no longer cease production.
It remains unclear if Vanessa will try to find another brand to release her husband's shoes anytime soon. But one thing's for sure, the already limited shoes will be even harder to cop in the coming months.
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