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Eric Pincus · Aug 12, 2026

Celebrating "Mamba"

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Eric Pincus · Eric Pincus

Last week, I was fortunate to visit Nike’s “The Art of Obsession” at LA Live, leading into the Mamba Invitational. The pop-up, celebrating the career of Kobe Bryant and his partnership with Nike, featured a “curated gallery experience celebrating the craftsmanship and innovation behind one of Nike’s most iconic basketball franchises.”

“The Chick Hearn Experience” featured food, drink, live music featuring Deyra Barrera and her mariachi band, custom airbrushed Mamba shirts, and a live discussion introducing the Kobe 10 Protro.

Here’s Bleacher Report’s take, via Pat Benson, on the Kobe 10 Protro. The first two photos are courtesy of Nike; artist Troy Murray created the 3D sculpture.

Note the Mamba fangs on the bottom of the shoe in the second photo!

Per Nike, “The piece features 13 Kobe outsoles - from the Kobe 1-11 to the Kobe AD, and most interestingly, a previously-unseen outsole of a prototype that appears to be a preview of the next chapter of Kobe footwear.”

"Kobe started this project. We're committed to carrying it forward to the finish. More details soon," shared Kobe VP/GM Dan Sunwoo. “We’re working on launching the first unfinished project we started with Kobe. We are revisiting the prototypes we worked on together and will advance a legacy defined by a shared belief in the infinite pursuit of better.”

Some of my photos from the event:

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