The estate of late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and Nike have parted ways after 18 years of teamwork that continued after Bryant’s 2016 retirement from the NBA and his death in January 2020.
Bryant’s widow Vanessa made the announcement on Instagram late Monday night, stating that the relationship came to an end last week.
“Kobe and 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,” she wrote.
Vanessa, who lost her husband as well as her daughter Gigi in a southern California helicopter crash, called it “fitting” that more NBA players sport Bryant’s products more so than any other signature shoe and wants to continue seeing fans carry on star guard’s legacy through merchandising.
“I will continue to fight for that,” she wrote. “Kobe’s products sell out in seconds. That says everything.”
She also said it was her hope that “to forge a lifelong partnership with Nike,” but her ongoing mission is to keep alive the legacies of the husband and daughter she lost.
Nike confirmed news of the split in a statement shared with media outlets Tuesday.
“Kobe Bryant was an important part of Nike’s deep connection to consumers. He pushed us and made everyone around him better,” the statement reads. “Though our contractual relationship has ended, he remains a deeply loved member of the Nike family.”
