Big Law
Nike Allegedly Leaked Unauthorized Shoes After Parting Ways With Kobe Bryant’s Widow
Vanessa Bryant, the widow of the late NBA star Kobe Bryant, wants Nike to explain why the Mambacita sneakers that she worked on to honor her daughter have been released without her permission.
Bryant said Thursday in an Instagram post that she was upset that the black-and-white shoes, with the names “Kobe” and “Gigi” engraved on them, were released when neither she nor her other daughters had received pairs.
Gianna Bryant — who has the nicknames “Mambacita” and “Gigi” — died in the helicopter crash that also killed her father, Kobe, in January 2020.
Vanessa Bryant had been working with Nike on a deal to sell the shoes, she explained, but the partnership was nixed when she didn’t re-sign her husband’s contract with the sneaker giant.
