Kobe Bryant’s “Black Mamba” moniker has become one of the most popular nicknames in sports history, but it was originally meant to be Michael Jordan’s. An ESPN story confirmed a longstanding rumor that Nike felt the nickname would be great to sell shoes and pitched it to someone else before Bryant. Jordan turned it down, and it became synonymous with Bryant in the latter stages of his iconic career.
Jordan Brand’s President Larry Miller explained the following reason for MJ turning it down after the meeting occurred:
“Hey, good job in there yesterday. MJ really liked the meeting. The product looked great, but you’ve got a problem. MJ doesn’t like snakes.”
Jordan having a fear of snakes led to the idea of marketing the Black Mamba moniker around him presenting issues. Various ads were planned, but Jordan never fully committed to the idea to see it falling through after one commercial.
The Los Angeles Lakers star was next pitched to get the nickname and loved the idea. The Kill Bill movie franchise made the moniker popular to warrant Kobe taking the chance on using it. NBA fans loved it and started calling Kobe by the Black Mamba name since it represented his danger on the court.
Michael Jordan’s Snake Phobia Was Real
The fear of snakes from Jordan became well-known among those close enough to speak with the legendary basketball player quite often. Author Mark Vancil and former teammate Stacey King had a podcast discussion claiming that Jordan would demand someone change the channel on television if a snake was shown in any context.
Jordan’s son Marcus shared a wild story about throwing fake snakes on his father’s bed to prank him:
“We were grounded. I think he was caught off guard, and he realized they weren’t real after a while. He was running ’round the house trying to find out who pranked him.
If you know anything about him, he was the ultimate competitor. He was a trash talker. He got inside your head. He used any competitive advantage that he had. If he had a legitimate fear of snakes, then you wouldn’t want that out.”
Jordan was so livid about the prank that he became obsessed with finding out which kid did it. Marcus claimed that Jordan didn’t want others outside of the home being aware of his fear.
Name Suited Kobe Bryant Much Better
Jordan already had multiple popular nicknames and didn’t need more as a retired player by the time this idea was pitched to him. “Air Jordan” was never going to be topped, so the marketing idea would have been more short-term if Jordan loved it.
Bryant signing with Nike allowed him to use the Black Mamba name after Jordan’s one-off marketing attempt. The nickname became legendary as Kobe won NBA Championships and an MVP Award after ending his partnership with Shaquille O’Neal. Bryant also felt tied to the moniker and what that character represented in Kill Bill.
Jordan not liking or fitting with the moniker made it even more ideal for Kobe, as the name most viewed as MJ’s successor. Bryant was known as the Black Mamba for the rest of his career, and his shoe line still has releases today playing into that history.
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