There's only a handful of nicknames throughout sports history that immediately make you think of a specific player. The “Sweetness” of Walter Payton, Reggie Jackson known as “Mr. October,” and the world's baddest man Jon “Bones” Jones. In basketball, “The Black Mamba” has become the stuff of legends thanks to the late great Kobe Bryant. However, while Bryant made the moniker what it is today, it was almost Michael Jordan who was given the nickname back in 2003.
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In a story from ESPN's Baxter Holmes, Nike creators originally intended for the “Black Mamba” moniker to be attached to Michael Jordan. While Jordan is widely know as the “Black Cat” to many for his jaguar-like movement on the court and several sneaker colorways with the nickname, the mamba concept was born when developing the Air Jordan 19 sneakers.
Michael Jordan had wanted a new concept for the 19th sneaker in his signature collection, to which a design team looked to innovated the first laceless basketball sneaker. The weave locking system resembled snakeskin, so the creative team jumped at the idea of branding Jordan as “The Black Mamba.”
Kobe Bryant emerging as “The Black Mamba”
As it turns out, Michael Jordan was “visibly uncomfortable” during the pitch as the creative team wasn't previously aware of Jordan's phobia of snakes. The blunder was a complete afterthought and Nike executive diverged from the idea for some time. That is, until Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant left Adidas in 2003 to join Nike.
The talented, yet controversial talent was then dubbed the new “Black Mamba,” an alter ego Bryant fully embraced with his mindset and play on the court. Growing up a fan of the “Kill Bill” films, Bryant was able to transform into the “Black Mamba” en route to winning five championship rings.
The Nike Kobe signature line
The Nike Kobe signature line grew into a phenomenon of its own, spanning across 12 name-bearing silhouettes and pioneering the designs of the most popular basketball sneakers in the current landscape. Legendary Nike sneaker designer Eric Avar spearheaded the operation and truly helped to convey the Mamba Mentality through sneakers that would fit the same attitude.
Several designs like the Nike Kobe 3 and Nike Kobe 6 took direct inspiration from snakes, while recent releases play even further into the ‘Black Mamba' moniker with updated colorway. In the NBA today, the Nike Kobe sneakers are the most widely-worn shoe out of any other model.
Transcending basketball
Not only is the Nike Kobe line dominating the footwear of the NBA, but the hottest football cleats on the market currently are the Nike Kobe 6 PE sneakers-turned-cleats players have been wearing around the NFL. Athletes across all sports have been inspired by Kobe Bryant's play on the court, but it's been the Mamba Mentality that transcends all sports and speaks to the competitor in all of us.
While the “Black Mamba” may have not been the clear choice for the greatest player of all time in Michael Jordan, they couldn't have landed on a better player to represent as the “Black Mamba” than Kobe Bryant. He lived the moniker throughout his entire NBA career, addressing the fans in a Lakers' uniform one last time by saying “Mamba out.”
