The Mamba Sports Academy Is Changing Its Name Out Of Respect To Kobe Bryant

It will now be called The Sports Academy.

The Mamba Sports Academy is changing its name to the The Sports Academy out of respect to Kobe Bryant, it said in a statement Tuesday. 

Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people as they were headed to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where Kobe was going to coach Gianna in a youth basketball game. 

Bryant was a five-time NBA champion over his 20-season career with the Lakers. He was an 18-time All-Star, two-time Finals MVP and one-time regular season MVP in 2008.

"Like tens of millions of fans around the globe, Sports Academy's world drastically changed on January 26, 2020," the academy said in a statement. "Today, with respect for an unparalleled legacy, the Academy will retire the "Mamba" in the Mamba Sports Academy name–to raise it to the rafters, where it belongs. In doing so, Sports Academy will carry on the vision it curated during that special partnership."

Bryant and Sports Academy CEO Chad Faulkner launched The Mamba Sports Academy in 2018 with locations in both Thousand Oaks and Redondo Beach. 

"Our beliefs and thoughts are Kobe is one of one. 'Mamba' is one of one," Faulkner told The Undefeated. "And with that as we carry on as The Sports Academy, it's more appropriate to put Kobe in another Hall of Fame, if you will, and to really respect a legacy that is really unrivaled, frankly, and let that live on its own. We will continue to do the work we do."

Bryant hosted an invite-only training camp for NBA players in August at the Mamba Sports Academy. He held a similar camp for WNBA players in January. 

Last month, Bryant was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame and Gianna, who dreamed of playing professional basketball, was named an honorary WNBA draft pick.

Faulkner told The Undefeated that he's interested in placing memorials for Bryant at The Sports Academy locations, provided that the Bryant family is on board. 

"That will really end up being up to the desires of the family and to the respect of the family," Faulkner said. "For us, we leave that up to the future. This is such a critical time for the family to keep working through the grieving process and everything they're working for. We are going to play really conservative from that approach. We are all for it. ... But it's really not necessarily the right thing for us to do proactively."