FC Barcelona Honours Kobe Bryant with road uniforms inspired by the mamba mentality
But in February 2009 – In the middle of his 13th NBA season – Bryant appeared on the cover of Espn the magazine wearing the uniform of another team and practiced a completely different sport.
The roofing shot showed Bryant in full equipment by the Barcelona FC and performing a little rather elegant game with a soccer ball.
In a video for Espn The Magazine, Bryant explained that he was a long-standing football fan that had been “fascinated” by Superstar Ronaldinho, who played for the boat since 2003-2008.
“This is how I started following the team,” Bryant said, “and from that moment on I just blocked with them.”
Now, more than 16 years later, Barcelona players wear uniforms inspired by Bryant. Revealed on Tuesday by Nike and Barca, the away Kits of 2025-26 of the team will present a series of notes to the deceased legend of the NBA and its famous Mamba mentality.
The colors are variants of the purple and gold of the Lakers. A serpent leather model is present on shorts and parts of the shirt. Bryant’s “Kobe Sheath” logo appears in the foreground, also in the upper right section of the shirt where Nike Swoosh would normally be placed.
“Born from a shared obsession with relentless improvement of oneself, the partnership brings Kobe’s sheath to professional football for the first time through a collection that captures the dedication and central values to the legacy of Kobe and the DNA of Barça,” Nike said in a press release.
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“The collaboration celebrates love for the whole life of Kobe for football and admiration for the joyful style of play and philosophy of the FC Barcelona. In exchange, Barça recognizes Kobe as a driving force in global sport that has lived with the discipline and lead for the greatness that defines the club.”
Barcelona was not shy in promoting the new look on Instagram.
“Two icons, a shared story,” wrote the team in a post. “A collaboration born from mutual admiration and the values that unite us: talent, commitment and passion.”
Boat added to another post: “Mamba mentality is in the United States”.
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