August 24th (8/24) was a sobering night across major sports leagues, as players remembered the legacy of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who tragically passed this past January. Orange County declared 8/24 “Mamba Night” because of the NBA superstar’s success sporting both the number’s 8 and 24 throughout his career. Here’s a closer look at some of the most memorable fits from 2020’s “Mamba Night”……
Although multiple teams across numerous sports disciplines payed homage to the NBA great, the spotlight inevitably fell on the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that Bryant played his entire twenty-year career with. Superstar Lebron James arrived at the NBA Bubble arena repping a Kobe Bryant jersey, paired with Nike shoes that followed a Lakers colorway. The Lakers sported Black Jerseys embedded with a snakeskin design in recognition of Kobe’s famous nickname, “The Black Mamba”. The Lakers also payed tribute to Kobe’s daughter Gianna Bryant, stitching a heart with the number 2 above the jersey’s Nike logo. An inspiring and moving moment occurred in Monday’s game versus the Portland Trailblazers, as the score read 24-8 midway through the first quarter. Lebron James spoke on the moment when he realized the score was 24-8, and remembered thinking “Ok, he’s in the building”.
Kobe Bryant cemented his legacy in Los Angeles, yet he was raised in Philadelphia. On Kobe night, the cities own Bryce Harper payed respects to the Philly Phenom. Harper wore a black Kobe Jersey under his grey Phillies jersey. Although this gesture garnered much hype from the national media, Bryce’s custom Kobe cleats stole the show. These custom mamba cleats flex a green snakeskin pattern, which compliments perfectly with the colors of the Phillie Phanatic, a character that Harper loves to represent on his accessories. The cleats were paired with a matching wrist protector, which displayed Bryant’s “Mamba” logo on the center. Harper himself grew up in LA, and was a massive Kobe Bryant fan himself.
Analyzing athlete apparel is definitely an interesting topic and one I look forward to reading in your future blogs. I especially like how you took the approach of analyzing this specific event! Though I do not follow basketball closely, my heart breaks at the loss of Kobe and Gianna’s lives. I appreciate the information about Harper’s contributions as well! It is powerful to see his impact across professional sports.
Like Rayna, I was not a devoted follower of basketball, however, even I could see that the loss of Kobe and Gianna Bryant impacted our nation as a whole. You could even say this passion blog post is an example of kairos. The athletic apparel companies seized an opportune moment in time to promote their brand name/design while also paying homage to a late basketball legend.
Also, I love how you included the moment where the score was 24-8. Whether it was coincidence or not, it shows how much basketball meant to Kobe Bryant: he inspired others with his hardwork and dedication to the game. It is because of this that his numbers 24 and 8 will never be forgotten.
I really love this idea for your passion blog! I don’t know much about sports but I do love fashion so I think this is a great way to reach a wider audience. I can’t believe Kobe Bryant passed in January! It feels so recent but I guess that’s how everything has felt during this pandemic.