The partnership between Kobe Bryant and Nike is over

According to Hypebeast, the contract between Nike and Kobe Bryant ended on April 13, 2021, a relationship that had continued despite the sudden death of the former NBA star. The fact acquires interest because the relationship between swosh and the former Lakers was not only a historical sporting combination (18 years long), but also a very strong commercial bond. That, in the future, could have produced more material, but some problems between Bryant's family and Nike would have conditioned the interruption of the relationship between sponsor and player. 

Kobe had started his career with a pair of adidas on his feet, dressing the German brand on and off the field - he was an image man - from 1996 until 2003, when he then moved to Nike. When Kobe Bryant died on January 26, 2020 with his daughter Gigi in a helicopter crash, his Nike merchandise sold heavily, and on some products, such as signature shoes, the same brand increased prices and limited its spread. Throughout 2020 and to date, Nike has launched several initiatives and items dedicated to Kobe Bryant, which join sneakers and historical jerseys such as Nike Protro, Mamba Fury, Elite High; but there would have been some economic disagreements or even years-old disagreements between the brand and Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's wife, so the former Lakers' name will no longer be associated with future Nike work.  

As reported by Sky Sport, Vanessa Bryant explained: "My hope will always be to allow Kobe fans to wear and dress products under her brand. I will continue to fight for what happens: everything about Kobe, every new production, is sold completely in seconds. This tells everything. "The legacy of Kobe and Gigi, to honor them to the best and everything that will never change".