The Los Angeles Lakers are planning on wearing “Black Mamba” jerseys to honour Kobe Bryant.
The sporting world went into mourning in January when Lakers legend Bryant died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna.
Now, the NBA giants are hoping to pay tribute to their iconic player by donning these special-made all-black jerseys – but only if they advance from the first-round of the playoffs.
Bryant’s wife Vanessa took to Instagram to post a picture of the commemorative shirts – and fans are already in love.
Dubbed the ‘Black Mamba’ during his decorated 20-year career, it appears the spirit of Bryant will now live on in 2020 with LA honouring him with this beautiful jersey.
Bryant worked closely with Nike to design the snake print before his death and the logo has become synonymous with the five-time champ’s relentless mentality and drive to win.
It’s understood the 16 stars on the side represent the total NBA championships won by the Los Angeles organisation – five of which Bryant helped the team clinch between 2000 and 2010 in a decade of dominance.
But if the current batch of Lakers stars want to be seen wearing this iconic kit on-court, then they’ll have to drastically improve on their recent performance against Portland.
Life in the ‘bubble’ playoffs for LeBron James and Co didn’t exactly start smoothly after going down 100-93 against Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers.
The Lakers were dominated in all areas of the court as they slumped to a demoralising defeat in Game 1 with many fans already claiming that the team is finished.
That being said, the NBA heavyweights are still favourites to clinch a coveted championship ring – and seeing them do so in the ‘Black Mamba’ jerseys will be a moment that will live on in basketball memory forever.
