Mamba Forever.
That’s how Nike announced the relaunch of Kobe Bryant’s iconic shoe line.
“Kobe Brand is back,” Nike announced on social media on Aug. 9, teasing the shoe line is “almost here.”
Nike and Vanessa Bryant made the announcement by dropping a teaser video. The company will begin releasing new Bryant shoes on Aug. 23, which would have been Kobe’s 45th birthday.
Bryant confirmed online that the Kobe 8 “Halo” sneakers will be the first to hit the market, and they’ll sell for an estimated $180 per pair.
This will mark the first release under the Kobe name since the late Los Angeles Lakers legend’s contract with Nike expired in April 2021. Nike and Bryant’s estate reached a new licensing agreement in 2022.
The new agreement will allow the company to re-release eight models that were made during Bryant’s career, as well as the six released after his retirement in 2016.
Nike also agreed to release apparel in honor of Gigi Bryant, the daughter of Kobe and Vanessa who was among the nine people who died in the January 2020 helicopter crash.