Kobe Bryant Allegedly Had Plans To Leave Nike & Start “Mamba” Sneaker Company

Kobe Bryant Allegedly Had Plans To Leave Nike & Start “Mamba” Sneaker Company

Kobe Bryant was set to shake up the sneaker industry before his untimely death. According to reports, the late Kobe Bryant had plans to end his longtime deal with the powerhouse corporation Nike in order to create his very own sneaker company called ‘Mamba’. Kobe Bryant was allegedly planning to start his own sneaker company because he was unhappy with the way things were going with Nike. On Tuesday, December 29th, Shervin Pishevar, who is an American venture capitalist and one of the masterminds behind Uber, took to Twitter to share Kobe Bryant’s sneaker company plans.

He tweeted that ‘Mamba’ was intended to be a shoe company owned by the players,

“I met with Kobe Bryant in late December 2019. Kobe wasn’t happy with Nike and was going to leave it in 2020. Kobe was going to start Mamba, a shoe company owned by players. He passed away weeks later. What he was about to do in business was going to eclipse his sports career.

Shervin Pishevar added images to his Twitter thread to show proof that his meeting with Kobe Bryant actually took place.

“These were the designs my team did to show him that day for an independent Mamba shoe company. Here’s calendar details. There were witnesses to the meeting and Kobe’s plans like Gina Ford, who manages Usain Bolt.”

Kobe Bryant, Gina Ford

He continued his tweets and gave insight into the shoe’s design.

“*the the idea of the tracker in back back (attached by strong magnet) connected a great Mamba fitness app and integrated coaching/motivational features.”

When a fan asked Shervin Pishevar why Kobe Bryant would want to leave a company like Nike he responded,

“He wasn’t happy with Nike’s marketing and promotion commitment to Kobe’s line. And the sales of his shoes were anemic and he blamed Nike. He retained tight control because he didn’t trust Nike’s judgment in design.”

Another fan asked the business mogul if Kobe’s shoe company plans would be picked up by another entrepreneur athlete. Shervin Pishevar said that he hopes someone is able to bring Kobe’s dreams to life.

“That is my dream. Sports teams and sports product companies could and should be owned by the players. PLAYER OWNED BUSINESS MODEL is superior to other models.”

What are your thoughts on Kobe working to start his own sneaker company? Let us know in the comments below.