Adidas Pursues Kobe Bryant’s Wife Vanessa After Nike Fallout

Believe it or not, Kobe has a following that only became bigger after the Los Angeles Lakers legend passed away tragically in a helicopter crash last year, that also took the lives of his daughter Gigi Bryant, and seven others on it.

While his relationship with his fans remains stronger than ever, the same can’t be said about the sneaker brands that he worked with. But it seems like a reconciliation is about to take place between the Bryant family and Adidas after Vanessa Bryant publically thanked them for giving them tons of their merchandise.

The break up with Adidas

When Kobe entered the league in 1996, he had signed a deal with Adidas and repped them throughout his rookie season. He even received his first signature shoe the following year, which made its debut in the 2000 NBA playoffs. But for reasons unknown, he became desperate to get out of his contract and paid $8 million to get out of it because of which he became a free agent in the sneaker world for an entire season.

He tried out various brands and eventually settled with Nike, with who he continued to work until his death last year. What we do know is that something major happened with Adidas that Bryant wanted to leave suddenly. He even refused to give an interview to a reporter solely because he was wearing Adidas’ apparel. Yes, that’s how bitter their relationship had become.

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Is a patch up with the Adidas in the books for Kobe Bryant?

A relationship that continued for nearly two decades came to an abrupt end when Kobe’s estate and Nike failed to come to a consensus for a new deal. It’s rumored that his estate was quite unhappy with the fact that Kobe’s stuff was hardly in stock after his passing. Hence, the inevitable breakup.

Since then, his estate hasn’t attached the Lakers legend’s name to any other brand so far. But now that his wife, Vanessa Bryant, posted a video of everything that Adidas gave to them, it seems like the two might be making up. Looks like the brand is doing all it can to woo the Bryant family.

No matter which brand Kobe’s name gets tied up with, they’ll receive plenty of love and support from fans. And Kobe’s legacy will continue to live on.

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