Tag: Nike Basketball

Fans were gifted Kobe Bryant-themed t-shirts for attending Lakers vs. Celtics on Christmas

This was a cool move by the Lakers and Nike Basketball.

Fans who took the trip to watch the Lakers play the Celtics on Christmas had a memorable and meaningful gift waiting for them at their seats.

Those in the arena were given special t-shirts with a tribute to the late Los Angeles legend Kobe Bryant, who played sixteen games on Christmas Day during his professional career.

Bryant is often associated with playing well on Christmas Day. In fact, per HoopsHype, LeBron James is the only player in league history to have more points scored on the holiday than Bryant recorded during his time in the NBA.

Surprisingly, per Stathead, only one of the games Bryant played on Christmas was against the Celtics. That was a victory in 2008 when Bryant scored 27 points while adding nine rebounds and five assists.

The Lakers lost to the Celtics in the NBA Finals earlier in that calendar year but went on to win the championship later that season. It was the first title in Bryant’s career that he won without Shaquille O’Neal as a teammate.

But considering the rivalry between the two sides, the Celtics were still a perfect opponent for the Lakers to issue the “That’s Mamba” t-shirts as an awesome giveaway.

The t-shirt handed out to fans is in collaboration with Nike Basketball. The brand recently released billboards (among other activations) with the same catchphrase in New York City as well.

Nike will release the “Black Mamba” Nike Kobe 4 Protro and a “Mamba Mentality” apparel line on Dec. 27.

[lawrence-related id=2179236,2126382,2124964]

Nike Basketball posted a confusing Coach K tweet after Duke lost to North Carolina

They raise an interesting point…

One of college basketball’s legendary figures closed out the final chapter of his career on Saturday night. After 42 seasons, coach Mike Krzyzewski’s run at Duke came to a close with an 81-77 loss to bitter rival North Carolina.

It was a disappointing end for a career that is practically unparalleled in the sport. In his time in Durham, Krzyzewski won five national championships, 15 ACC Tournaments and appeared in 13 Final Fours.

Naturally, social media was ablaze with Blue Devils fans and outsiders paying their respects to Krzyzewski after the end of his fantastic career. But one tweet from Nike Basketball… well, you could say it drew some attention.

Now, the folks at Nike make an interesting claim here. It’s quite the intriguing hypothesis.

However, after some consultation and intense deliberation with our fact-checkers at For The Win, we have determined that there is, in fact, no way to spell the word “championship” that includes the letter K.

Some sleuthy Twitter detectives seem to have arrived at the same conclusion.

Apparently, this is what they had ready to roll out after Coach K’s final game:

Obviously, Nike knows how to spell the word “championship.” At least, I sure hope so. Regardless, judging by the ratio, this strange approach didn’t quite land. Maybe best to have left that one in the drafts.

On the other hand, the tweet got a lot of engagement, and I’m blogging about it right now. Hmm…

You win this round, brand.

[mm-video type=video id=01fzjtdxekr7j97w780a playlist_id=01f09p3bf720d8rg02 player_id=01evcfkb10bw5a3nky image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fzjtdxekr7j97w780a/01fzjtdxekr7j97w780a-ebc6ca577d56b90a43cacf93dd69d4a4.jpg]

[vertical-gallery id=1869356]

SPECIAL DELIVERY: Exploring Kevin Durant’s signature shoe history with the KD 14

A look at Kevin Durant’s brand new signature sneaker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHI7CIebR9A

A strap is something that we’ve seen fairly commonly on a bunch of basketball shoes throughout the history of sneakers.

But the strap on Kevin Durant’s brand new KD 14 is more than a strap — it’s history.

Nike took Kevin Durant’s signature basketball line back to the roots that made it a hit with people in the first place. And they did it with the strap — a simple design concept.

The strap was a prominent feature on both the KD 4 and the KD 7 which are both widely considered two of the best models on Durant’s signature line.

Sykes unboxes the 14 on the latest episode of Special Delivery in the video above. The crew explores the history of the strap and explains why this shoe is more of a milestone for Kevin Durant than a signature sneaker.

Enjoy.

LeBron James announces return of #LeBronWatch with LeBron 8 Graffiti

Los Angeles Lakers star will be releasing special editions of his signature shoes on the 23rd of each month.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and his longtime partners at Nike are bringing back one of their most popular campaigns over the course of the next few months. LeBron announced on Instagram Friday night that he and Nike are bringing back the #LeBronWatch campaign in which Nike sells shoes that LeBron is wearing the same night on the court. LeBron first did the #LeBronWatch during the 2018 season, his final season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James also gave fans a sneak peek of what to expect when the shoes hit Nike’s SNKRS app tomorrow, likely during tomorrow night’s game against the Chicago Bulls, of the LeBron 8 ‘Grafitti.’

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKXizeHAmYb/

According to the folks at Sole Collector, the shoes are famous for the time LeBron wore them at the Goodman League vs. Melo League exhibition game during the 2011 NBA lockout, in which stars like James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and others barnstormed in gyms across the country in order to stay sharp while the NBA season was in limbo.

[lawrence-related id=37332,37325]

 

Lakers decide to wear ‘Black Mamba’ jerseys in Game 5 vs. Heat

The Lakers have said multiple times they don’t want to lose in the Mamba jerseys and decided to wear them in a potential close-out Game 5.

The Los Angeles Lakers are only one win away from winning their 17th championship and they have made it clear they want to win the title in their first chance. The Lakers, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, have elected to wear their special ‘Black Mamba’ edition jerseys in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Friday night. The Lakers lead the 2020 NBA Finals best-of-seven 3-1 over the Miami Heat and while they are still scheduled to wear the jerseys in Game 7, if necessary, they have decided Friday is the night they want to wrap up this season with their fourth straight five-game series win.

The Lakers are 4-0 so far in the playoffs with their Black Mamba jerseys and all players on the team have said they feel a sense of pride when wearing them, giving them extra motivation not to lose while wearing the jerseys that are made to honor Kobe Bryant.

[lawrence-related id=35110,35107]

LeBron walks into Lakers-Blazers Game 4 with Kobe Bryant 8/24 jersey

LeBron James pulled up to their big Game 4 with the limited edition jersey released on Monday to honor Kobe Bryant.

The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into a game in which they can stifle whatever hopes the Portland Trail Blazers have to make this series interesting as they look to go up 3-1 in their best-of-seven series. But tonight’s Game 4 will also be a stage for something beyond tonight’s game between the Lakers and Blazers. It will also be a celebration and a living memorial for the late Kobe Bryant, who passed away earlier this year in a helicopter crash. LeBron James came to the came honoring Bryant, wearing a Kobe version of the “Black Mamba” uniform all of the Lakers will be wearing on the court tonight.

Anthony Davis, a fellow Nike athlete, also came to the game with the Kobe jersey on.

The death of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant has weighed heavily on the Lakers, as well as the rest of the NBA, all season long. For the first time in its history, the league is playing games around his birthday, which was yesterday and is honoring him in this strange time.

[lawrence-related id=33933,33930]

 

Lakers to wear ‘Black Mamba’ jerseys in Game 4 vs. Blazers, on 8/24

The Los Angeles Lakers will honor the memory of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant in Game 4 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Los Angeles Lakers will honor the memory of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who were among the nine people who perished in a helicopter crash in late January, during the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin did a little sleuthing and discovered that the Lakers are scheduled to wear their ‘Black Mamba’ edition uniforms in Game 4 of their series against the Portland Trail Blazers, which is scheduled for August 24, or 8/24, the two numbers that Bryant wore throughout his legendary Lakers career. Bryant’s window Vanessa Bryant shared a photo of the jerseys, which will feature a Black snakeskin print and a throwback Lakers logo with the drop shadow.

Ever since arriving at the bubble, the Lakers have discussed how much Bryant’s memory weighs on them and how much it is motivating them to succeed in winning the franchise’s 17th championship.  Today’s Game 1 will be the first playoff game since Bryant led the Lakers to the playoffs in 2013.

[lawrence-related id=33765,33762]

 

LeBron James narrates new Nike ad about coming back strong

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James narrated a new Nike ad that was released on Saturday, about coming back from coronavirus.

While the details are still being discussed, it seems like the NBA’s return to play is closer than ever. And as other sports around the world have returned, many of the team sports in North America are eyeing summer comebacks, including the NBA. With the comeback in mind, not only of sports but for society at large, Nike thought it was the right time to air one of their classic inspirational ads, this time about all of their athletes and the ways in which they’ve come back from injuries and defeat to triumph, narrated by LeBron James.

Along with James, narration, the commercial features other Nike athletes like Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, and Paul George.

LeBron has been vocal about trying to not only get the season back, but also trying to encourage people, especially the Class of 2020, to use this difficult time where basically everything has stopped, as an opportunity to come back even stronger and adapt to how the world has changed.

[lawrence-related id=30078,30057]

 

 

LeBron James is still celebrating Air Max Day in quarantine

Los Angeles Lakers star and Nike athlete LeBron James is still planning on celebrating Air Max Day as the holiday is scheduled for.

Just because he’s unable to leave his home doesn’t mean LeBron James isn’t going to celebrate a major day for sneakerheads, specifically those who love Nike, whom LeBron has had a professional relationship with for his entire career.

March 26 is Air Max Day, a celebration of the Nike running shoes that first put visible airbags in their shoes. The Air Max shoes have led to various popular iterations and have created a unique following of their own, leading to their own holiday. Although James hasn’t shown off what kind of Air Maxes he is working with, James promises to celebrate the day at the James compound.

A quick glance at Instagram hasn’t shown us any of the heat LeBron is wearing around the crib but as one of Nike’s lifelong athletes and a lifelong fan of the brand since before he signed, there’s no doubt that James has some incredible Air Maxes that are just waiting to see the light of day.

[lawrence-related id=10832,5515]

LeBron James echoes Nike’s message to ‘play inside’ during coronavirus

The Los Angeles Lakers star shared his own footage along with a message from the brand he’s been with his entire career to stay inside.

Although LeBron James like many of us is missing sports, both being able to play it and watch it, he is very clear that he agrees with the recommendations from experts that most people should stay at home and practice social distancing. He applauded the City of Los Angeles’s decision to enforce a shelter-in-place order earlier this week and on Saturday, he echoed the message from the team he’s been with his entire professional career: Nike.

Nike shared a message to their followers, which was boosted by LeBron and several other Nike athletes, encouraging their fans to acknowledge that this is a public health crisis that must be taken seriously together, even as athletes look to stay in shame.

LeBron then shared an image from his home gym, which is obviously a lot more robust than what most of us have at our disposal. However, LeBron and other elite athletes sharing the message to their fans that this is a crucial time to stay inside and flatten the curve of the virus is important to inform more people about the virus who haven’t yet taken it seriously.

[lawrence-related id=28404,28396]