The world celebrated April 13 as Mamba Day in honor of superstar basketball player Kobe “Black Mamba” Bryant’s retirement. After 20 years of dedication to the game of basketball, physical injuries influenced Bryant to announce his retirement in November of 2015. However, the history and legacy made during his career will never be forgotten.
“With 17 NBA All-Star selections, an NBA MVP, five NBA championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals and a relentless work ethic, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said.
When speaking of Kobe Bryant, there are many inspirational words that come to mind. Bryant has taken this game to another level with his determination and love for basketball. He paved the way for discouraged children and gave them faith that they can accomplish anything if you set your mind to do it. Beginning in his rookie year, Bryant joined the NBA with a willingness to learn and heart that can’t be broken by failure. These 20 years have been a successful run for Bryant, because each and every year he has improved and become more consistent with his effort. People chant his name when he is at the free throw line, spend money for season tickets each year and come home early from work to see his games because of the impact he has on his fans. Bryant is the symbol of hope. In his last game, Bryant went out with a bang. For the sixth time in his career, Bryant scored 60 points and had four assists rebounds, leading the team to victory over the Utah Jazz in the last minutes of the April 13 game.
Yet, this night was not only a monumental time for sports, but for social media and Nike as well. Bryant’s retirement became a viral topic of appreciation and debate. Twitter reported ground-breaking numbers, with 2.87 million uses of the hashtag #MambaDay and over 5 million mentions to Bryant’s Twitter account. Snapchat released a filter for users to include on their photos in addition to the live story of Bryant’s final game. Tumblr produced several GIFs of the legendary basketball player that ran on the Internet. Moreover, Bryant and athletic outfitter Nike collaborated to release the Mamba Day collection of Kobe Bryant sneakers on April 13 as well. Nike confirmed a 100 percent sellout of the Kobe 11 “Mamba Day” iD shoe in 60 minutes, which became the most successful launch on their platform.
Kobe Bryant may not have been the most beloved basketball player in the NBA, but his statistics show he was definitely one of the greatest. After a daylong celebration, it is surreal to watch the Black Mamba fade to the back, but as Bryant said in his final speech: “Mamba out.”