Sunday (August 23) would have been Kobe Bryant's 42nd birthday and Nike has presented a new ad honoring the late, great NBA giant, who died in a helicopter crash in January.
In their new TV spot, which was narrated by Kendrick Lamar and titled "Better: Mamba Forever," K. Dot shares some insight about how the fallen basketball titan pushed himself to be the best. "Kobe taught us to be better," he declares at the top of the 90-second clip. Lamar's narration turns poetic as he begins to spit bars about the many ways we can work on ourselves as a montage of clips from moments in Bryant's career on court flash before viewers. At one point, the five-time NBA champion's mantra comes to life with his own voice. "You wake up every single day to get better today than you were yesterday," the late star says.
In addition to the spot, Nike has launched the Mamba Week initiative, which offers customers resources to promote self-development. "Kobe built the Mamba Mentality on the values of Passion, Focus, Honesty, Fearless, and Optimism," the website reads. "He dedicated himself to inspiring the next generation to be better by applying these values to their own lives. This week we continue that legacy."
As you know, Bryant wasn't the only one who died in the tragic helicopter crash, alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. The accident also took the lives of nine other people. Bryant was 41.
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