Two years ago, we sadly lost Kobe Bryant
Today, I want to talk about the lasting impact he had on MMA and martial arts, and the influence these communities had on him 👇
1) Kobe noted in interviews that martial arts legend and movie star Bruce Lee was a major influence on the “Mamba Mentality”
How much? In the 2000s, Kobe started practicing Jeet Kune Do — Bruce Lee’s hybrid martial art that combines the best of multiple martial arts disciplines
2) While Jeet Kune Do doesn’t have a direct connection to basketball, Kobe saw it differently:
“To me it has everything to do with basketball. There are a lot of similarities. By doing so, no one knows what you’re going to do next, therefore, they don’t know how to fight back.”
3) Kobe noted his appreciation for martial arts in charitable ways as well
In 2010, his foundation donated $25,000 to Wushu Master, actor and film fight choreographer Hu Jianqiang so he could teach martial arts to students at Richard Merkin Middle School in LA
4) Bruce Lee’s influence didn’t stop at training, Kobe also spread his philosophy to teammates
He once told @kylekuzma that he “found his game” against the Spurs in the Western Conference semis by watching a Bruce Lee movie (cont’d) ⬇️
5) Kobe told Kuzma that the famous Enter The Dragon scene where Bruce Lee teaches his student that “less is more” motivated him to take that approach into his next game — and for the rest of his legendary career
6) And as far as fandom goes — Kobe did claim to have watched and read every piece of content Bruce Lee ever produced
7) Kobe also honored Bruce Lee on the court with his sneakers, including:
• The Kobe 5
• The Kobe 9
• The Kobe 11 Elite Low
Each of the shoes payed homage to Lee’s Enter the Dragon with yellow and black colors and red slashes
8) The Bruce Lee-inspired Kobe shoes also inspired Kyrie Irving to pay tribute to Bruce Lee
Kyrie wore Kobe 5s at a basketball tournament when he was 17
And eventually — with Kobe’s blessing — Kyrie and Nike released the Kyrie 3 “Mamba Mentality Bruce Lee” shoe
9) Even after Kobe’s passing — the Bruce Lee-sneaker influence lived on
Nike quietly released the Mamba Fury back into the market in May 2020 after Kobe’s death with the signature Enter the Dragon colorway (cont’d) ⬇️
10) Nike also released two Kyrie 6 Bruce Lee colorways and two Kobe 5 Protro “Bruce Lee” colorways in 2020
11) Given Kobe’s love for martial arts and Bruce Lee, it’s no surprise that he was also an early investor in the @ufc, as revealed by @danawhite when Kobe died 2 years ago
12) Days before his death, Dana White said that Kobe even received a distribution payout from his UFC investment
He told White that “I wish I had invested more!”
The UFC honored Kobe after his passing at UFC 247
13) The Kobe-backed sports drink company @DrinkBODYARMOR is also the official sports drink of the UFC
14) Kobe also backed @dc_mma’s ESPN series DETAILED
15) Knowing how connected Kobe was with so many people, I’m sure I’m missing countless other ways he impacted MMA and martial arts
But as we celebrate his life on the day he was lost, his impact on these communities will never be forgotten #MambaForever 💛💜
Sources
gq.com/story/kobe-bry…
amp.scmp.com/sport/other-sp…
amp.extratv.com/2020/02/07/the…
kicksite.com/resources/news…
latimes.com/archives/la-xp…
mmafighting.com/platform/amp/2…
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