The United States men’s basketball team clinched gold for the fifth consecutive time by defeating France on Saturday night in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Although busy with training for the Mike Tyson fight on November 15th, Jake Paul made time to watch Team USA succeed in the biggest games of the world. Meanwhile, he came up with the idea that the sports apparel brand Nike should sign more players to the Kobe Bryant brand.

Such an idea is not a new thing Paul came up with alone—fans of the late NBA legend have made similar demands in the past. Jake Paul happens to be a more headline-friendly sort of person. It’s worth noting, that Nike’s Kobe brand, launched in 2005, is a line of basketball shoes and other merchandise created in collaboration with Bryant, one of the greatest NBA players of all time. It includes signature sneakers, apparel, and accessories. Regardless, Paul wants Nike to build a brand around Bryant like they did for Michael Jordan in 1997. All this transpired on social media, as Paul roped in Kobe’s wife Vanessa Bryant in the loop.

The Case for a Kobe Brand

While watching the Summer Olympics’ last basketball game, Paul hopped onto X and wrote, “Nike needs to sign players to the Kobe brand, just like Jordan. Seeing so many men and women ball players wearing Kobe’s at the Olympics. 8-10-24- let’s get that gold for Mamba.” He isn’t wrong. Many of the Olympic basketball players were sporting Bryant’s retro Nikes during many of the games.

If that doesn’t convince you, here’s more: Even though Nike’s only released retro models so far, the Kobe line is still the most popular performance basketball shoe out there. And the good news? Nike’s already making moves in the right direction. They relaunched the ‘Kobe Brand’ last August, with more sneaker drops and ‘Mamba Programs’ in the NCAA.

Still, Nike hasn’t fully created a Kobe brand like Jordan Brand just yet. Plus, if Nike does decide to, Kobe’s wife Vanessa Bryant should have the final say, according to Jake Paul. After Paul put his thoughts out there, he soon clarified his stance, adding, “Meant with full respect and admiration. Of course it’s Vanessa Bryant who has to make that decision.” The posts were then shared together by Paul’s sports betting app Betr’s Instagram page.

Interestingly, when Jordan launched his sub-label in 1997, it included signing five NBA players, which later expanded into NFL and MLB. And this isn’t the first time Paul’s shown his love and respect for the late NBA legend.

Jake Paul made his pro debut on a sad note

Back in January, Jake Paul opened up about the mix of emotions he felt during his professional boxing debut, which happened at a pretty tough time for sports fans. On January 26, 2020, the world was hit hard by the devastating news of NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s tragic death, along with his daughter Gigi and seven others, in a helicopter crash. As Paul was gearing up for his first pro fight that same week, he couldn’t help but feel the weight of the loss, especially since Kobe was admired worldwide for his ‘Mamba Mentality’ and unstoppable work ethic.

In a touching post on X, Paul talked about how Bryant’s legacy has been a huge inspiration for him, shaping the way he approaches his boxing career. Even though that week was heavy with grief, Paul managed to push through and came out on top in his debut, defeating fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib with a first-round TKO. Looking back, Jake Paul paid tribute to Bryant, recognizing how much the basketball icon’s influence still drives him both in life and in the ring.

Despite the lack of a complete brand around Kobe Bryant, every time Nike drops Bryant sneakers, the demand is difficult to keep up with. Meaning, it’s safe to say that it won’t be an unprofitable endeavor for Nike. Still, whether such a thing happens is yet to be seen. Would you like to see Nike sign players to the Kobe Brand?