A special week for Lakers fans just got better … the same night the purple and gold unveil the Kobe Bryant statue outside Crypto.com Arena, LeBron James and Co. will rock Mamba uniforms, designed by the late legend himself!
The Lakers made the announcement Tuesday morning, saying the squad would wear their Black Mamba uniforms vs. the Denver Nuggets on February 8, the same night the team will introduce Bryant’s bronze statue in Star Plaza outside of the arena.
Aside from the jerseys looking fresh, they’re extra special because Kobe actually helped create them back in 2017 … borrowing elements from the Lakers uniform he wore during his rookie season in 1996-1997.
The Mamba unis, which the team will wear on 2/8/24 (another nod to the legend), feature a black, snakeskin-like print … and also include “LA 24” on the belt, with Kobe’s number 8 and 24 stitched on the leg of the shorts.
It won’t be the first time the Lakers have worn the uniforms … they debuted them in January 2018. They also wore them again during the 2020 championship season following Bryant’s tragic death.
As cool as the uniforms are, the statue is also a huge honor.
In fact, with the team’s rich history, Kobe’s just the 7th Laker to be honored with a statue, joining Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jerry West and Chick Hearn.
