Nike's athletes celebrate Kobe Bryant

Five days. It seemed so distant and instead Kobe Bryant's last day in the NBA is far only five days. On April 13th, when the Lakers will play against the Utah Jazz, Kobe will say stop, to the farewell tour and to NBA. Fans will have to get used to it, opponents too and himself, of course. Nike will also have to, even if the collaboration between them will continue, Kobe will still be ambassador of the Oregon company, he will continue to design sneakers - as we had been told at the announcement of the Fade to Black, the celebration campaign of the signature of the Philadelphia born champion.

The last shoe that Kobe will wear is a Kobe 11: low, modeled according to the latest Nike technology, ultra-light, but especially black and gold. The black of his nickname, Black Mamba, associated to the gold of his rings, but also a metaphor for a career that ends in black after being crowned with gold.

The first release of the campaign that will accompany Kobe until his farewell was white (always keeping the black and gold inserts), issued March 22, and first worn by the legendary golfer Rory McIlroy. Starting from today more than 200 athletes will pay homage to Bryant wearing 11 different shades of black and white, which will become increasingly dark, until you get to the Black Mamba, a sneaker destined to become legend.

Kobe was not a simple character. Many times he played the role of the bad, the unpleasent. US athlete Sanya Richards-Ross said: "I think that he drew strength from the idea of ​​being a villain". Kevin Durant, the company's future in the NBA, stated instead: "sometimes he really pisses me off".

Love him or hate him, then? Both, according to Nike, which arranged a mega world event for April 13: the Mamba Day. The last performance of a character far away from any logic.

Even before landing in the NBA, Kobe caused some disappointments (especially with his father) going from high school straight to NBA without going to university. That HS was Lower Marion, that Nike wanted to remember with a particular coloration of Kobe 11 in grey and red, the franchise colours. Last week then came the consecration of Tinker Hatfield, who has remodeled the Kobe 11 adding a colour inspired by the "black cement" of the Air Jordan III, perhaps his greatest creation.

Of course, there is the Jordan obsession, one in the name of which Kobe has tried in every way to win the title in 2010, against the Boston Celtics, and succeed at the end of a legendary battle. Doc Rivers, then coach of the green recently said: "I can tell that I’m almost relieved from his retirement, he really made me suffer so much on several occasions", obviously referring to the final.

In a video made by Nike for Mamba Day some of the brand's greatest faces, like Paul George or football hero Odell Beckham Jr., recalled how the Kobe vision of sport is ultimately that of a winner.

That winner is now retiring, and to all of us will remain nothing but the opportunity to celebrate his memory, keep it alive as much as possible. Everyday should be a Mamba Day, they would say on the other side of the ocean. For now we will content ourselves on April 13, when Kobe, hand in hand with Nike, will put his last point.