Vanessa Bryant reaches business agreement with Nike that honors husband Kobe, daughter Gigi

Vanessa Bryant has reached a deal with Nike to create apparel honoring her late husband — Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant — and their daughter Gigi, the company announced Thursday. 

Nike will release the Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita Sweet 16” to honor Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, who died in the helicopter crash that killed her father and eight others in January 2020.

All proceeds will benefit the nonprofit Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.

“I am happy to announce that we will continue my husband’s legacy with Nike and look forward to expanding his and Gigi’s global impact by sharing the Mamba Mentality with youth athletes for generations to come,” Mrs. Bryant said in a statement.

The deal marks an improvement in Mrs. Bryant’s relationship with the company.

Mrs. Bryant designed the Mambacita shoe last year, but she chose not to sell it and did not sign a new contract. She was upset when she then saw photos of people wearing the sneaker. 

“Nike has NOT sent any of these pairs to me and my girls,” she wrote on Instagram last June. “I do not know how someone else has their hands on shoes I designed in honor of my daughter, Gigi, and we don’t. I hope these shoes did not get sold.”

Mrs. Bryant and Nike will also work together to establish a youth basketball center in Southern California.

“Kobe Bryant means so much to so many of us, not just NBA fans but globally beyond the game,” John Donahoe, president and CEO of Nike Inc., said in a statement. “His impact in growing the sport, particularly encouraging women and young people to pick it up, endures as one of his deepest, lasting legacies. Together with Vanessa, we hope to honor Kobe and Gigi by championing a new generation for many years to come.”