Vanessa Bryant and the Kobe Bryant estate elected not to renew the partnership with Nike.
The widow of the Los Angeles Lakers great said, "Kobe's Nike contract expired on 4/13/21. Kobe and Nike have made some of the most beautiful basketball shoes of all time, worn and adored by fans and athletes in all sports across the globe.”
Sources say Vanessa and the estate had grown frustrated with Nike limiting the availability of Kobe products during his retirement and after his January 2020 death in a helicopter crash. Allegedly, they weren’t happy Bryant’s estate was not offered a similar lifetime contract structure given to LeBron James and Michael Jordan.