Kobe Bryant Day

Kobe Bryant Day (also known as Black Mamba Day or Mamba Day) is a holiday celebrated on August 24 of every year in Los Angeles and Orange County[1] commemorating the life of retired basketball player Kobe Bryant.[2] The date was chosen as the holiday because of Bryant's numbers on his jerseys (8 and 24),[3] as well as it being the day after his birthday, August 23.[4]

Kobe Bryant Day
Kobe Bryant in 2015, with the jersey number "24."
Also calledBlack Mamba Day, Mamba Day
Observed byLos Angeles (in 2016)
Orange County (in 2020)
SignificanceNumbers worn on Bryant's jerseys, day after birthday
DateAugust 24, 2020

History
See also: Kobe Bryant

In 2016, following Bryant's retirement from basketball, the City of Los Angeles declared August 24 as Kobe Bryant Day,[5] recognizing his philanthropy with the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, which "dedicated to improving the lives of youth and families in need and encouraging young people to stay active through sports."[6][7] He was further acknowledged for United Way of Greater Los Angeles’s annual HomeWalk, while also working with Make-A-Wish, NBA Cares, The Boys and Girls Clubs of America and After-School All-Stars.[8]

On January 26, 2020, Kobe and his daughter Gianna, along with seven others, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. After seven months, on August 12, 2020, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to declare August 24 as Kobe Bryant Day.[9][10][11][12] It was proposed by Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Michelle Steel.[13]

On August 23, the day before, Nike, Inc. launched "Mamba Week," which included product launches and programming honoring Bryant.[14] Some of the products included sneakers[15][16] and black jerseys with the two numbers.[17][18] Nike also donated $1 million to the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation.[19] The event was criticized for being limited and for being sold out in minutes.[20][21]

The next day, Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson announced on his Twitter that a portion of Figueroa Street from Olympic to MLK would become "Kobe Bryant Boulevard."[22][23]

During the 2020 NBA playoffs, Los Angeles Lakers players wore the "Black Mamba" jersey with "8" and "24" in honor of Bryant,[24][25] with Damian Lillard wearing customized shoes with the numbers on the back.[26][27] The Lakers won over the Trail Blazers, leading by 38 points in the third quarter.[28][29] In response to the win, LeBron James said that "[Bryant]'s here in the building" and that "the stars aligned."[30][31]

References
  1. "Two Calif. Counties Designate Today as Kobe Bryant Day". WRC-TV. August 24, 2020.
  2. Aviles, Gwen (August 13, 2020). "Local officials in California declare Aug. 24 Kobe Bryant Day". NBC News.
  3. Bieler, Des (August 22, 2016). "Los Angeles declares 'Kobe Bryant Day' set for 8/24 (get it?)". The Washington Post.
  4. Gawley, Paige (August 25, 2020). "Vanessa Bryant Posts Message of Gratitude for Kobe Bryant Day: 'It Takes a Village'". Entertainment Tonight.
  5. "Kobe Bryant Day – August 24, 2020". National Today.
  6. Neuharth-Keusch, AJ (August 23, 2016). "City of Los Angeles declares August 24 'Kobe Bryant Day'". USA Today.
  7. Ramirez, Joey (August 23, 2016). "August 24th Named 'Kobe Bryant Day' in Los Angeles". NBA.
  8. Ramirez, Joey (August 24, 2016). "City of Los Angeles Declares August 24th 'Kobe Bryant Day'". NBA.
  9. Schilken, Chuck (August 12, 2020). "Orange County declares 8/24 Kobe Bryant Day". The Los Angeles Times.
  10. Cheney, Alex (August 24, 2020). "L.A., Orange counties honor Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on 8/24". KABC-TV.
  11. "'Kobe Bryant Day': Orange County supervisors dedicate 8/24 to the late Lakers great". KABC-TV. August 12, 2020.
  12. Bengel, Chris (August 12, 2020). "Kobe Bryant Day declared for Aug. 24 in Orange County, California". CBS Sports.
  13. Kim, Allen (August 12, 2020). "Orange County officials declare August 24 as Kobe Bryant Day". CNN.
  14. DePaula, Nick (August 12, 2020). "Nike launching 'Mamba Week' to honor Kobe Bryant". ESPN.
  15. Tschorn, Adam (August 14, 2020). "Nike steps back into the Kobe Bryant sneaker game in a big way". The Los Angeles Times.
  16. Gorsler, Fabian (August 24, 2020). "Here Are the Kobe Sneakers Nike Is Releasing for Mamba Week". Highsnobiety.
  17. Briguglio, Mario (August 26, 2020). "Nike Reveals Kobe 5 Protro Lineup For Mamba Week". Sneaker Bar Detroit.
  18. Torres, Luis (August 13, 2020). "A Closer Look at the Nike "Mamba Week" Collection". Nice Kicks.
  19. Kasabian, Paul (August 12, 2020). "Nike Announces 1st-Ever 'Mamba Week,' $1M Donation in Honor of Kobe Bryant". Bleacher Report.
  20. Thorpe, Evan (August 25, 2020). "Mamba Day: What went wrong with Nike's Kobe Bryant release". MSN.
  21. Thorpe, Evan (August 25, 2020). "Mamba Day: What went wrong with Nike's Kobe Bryant release". For The Win.
  22. Wesson, Herb [@HerbJWesson] (August 24, 2020). "Figueroa St. will soon be Kobe Bryant Blvd. between Olympic & MLK. Kobe's legacy is bigger than basketball. #KobeBryantBlvd will be a reminder to everyone, young and old who drive down it, there is no obstacle too big and that with the #Mambamentality , anything is possible" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. Shilken, Chuck; Loumena, Dan (August 24, 2020). "It's 8/24, and Kobe Bryant Day includes naming of street for him". The Los Angeles Times.
  24. Quinn, Sam (August 24, 2020). "Lakers open Game 4 vs. Blazers with 24-8 run while wearing Black Mamba uniforms on Kobe Bryant Day". CBS Sports.
  25. Baer, Jack (August 24, 2020). "Lakers don 'Black Mamba' jerseys, grab dominant win on Kobe Bryant Day". Yahoo Sports.
  26. Socotch, Peter (August 24, 2020). "Trail Blazers vs. Lakers score on Kobe Bryant Day is incredibly poetic". Yahoo Sports.
  27. Balloch, Lochlan (August 25, 2020). "NBA celebrates Kobe Bryant Day". Zero US Sports.
  28. Rohlin, Melissa (August 24, 2020). "On Kobe Bryant Day, Lakers Honor The Black Mamba With A 135-115 Win Over Portland In Game 4". Sports Illustrated.
  29. Nesbitt, Andy (August 24, 2020). "The Lakers amazingly jumped out to a 24-8 lead on Kobe Bryant Day and fans loved it". For The Win.
  30. McMenamin, Dave (August 25, 2020). "LeBron James: 'Stars aligned' for Lakers on Kobe Bryant Day". ESPN.
  31. Gaydos, Ryan (August 25, 2020). "LeBron James, Lakers led Trail Blazers 24-8 on Kobe Bryant Day during win: 'OK, he's here in the building'". Fox News.
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