Kentucky Wildcats Selected As First "Kobe Brand" School

The Kentucky Wildcats will carry on Kobe Bryant's legacy as NCAA's first "Mamba Program".

After years of frustrations surrounding the future of the Kobe Bryant signature sneaker line, the news has rapidly picked up in recent weeks. Not only is Nike relaunching the "Kobe Brand" with future sneaker releases, but the company has a much larger vision for Bryant's legacy with the company.

According to Jack Pilgrim of KSR, the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball program has been selected as a "Mamba Program" ahead of the 2023-24 NCAA Basketball season.

According to the report, Vanessa Bryant hand-picked Kentucky as the first "Mamba Program" school in its partnership with Nike. Additionally, several other programs are expected to join the ranks as "Mamba Programs" as part of a multi-year rollout.

Nike x Kobe Brand

A detailed look at the Nike Kobe 11 / Sole Collector

In addition to receiving player-exclusive Nike Kobe sneakers and apparel, uniforms sporting Bryant's iconic signature Sheath logo could be coming in the next few years (similar to Jordan Brand-sponsored team uniforms featuring the Jumpman logo).

An official announcement has not been made yet, but thanks to some excellent local reporting, fans of the late-great Los Angeles Lakers legend have even more reasons to be excited about the future.

With Kentucky becoming the first school selected as a "Mamba Program," it is our guess that the USC Trojans will likely be one of the future schools to earn the honor of becoming a "Kobe Brand" school, given the Bryant family's deep ties to the private university. Stay locked into FanNation Kicks for all your sneaker news.

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