Since agreeing to a new deal with Nike, Vanessa Bryant has always made sure to honor the legacy of Kobe and Gigi. Be it the “Mambacitas” in memory of her daughter or the WNBA-inspired design of the Kobe 8 Protros that reflects his commitment to women’s sports. This time, the brand is bringing it to the USC football team as part of the “Mamba Programs.”

“Introducing the Nike Kobe 6 “USC” Shoe! 🔥🐍✌️ • Nike has released a new Vapor Edge Kobe 6 “USC” shoe. Modeled after the pair Kobe Bryant debuted on Christmas Day 2010 and customized exclusively for the USC Trojans.” The football team shared the news on Instagram and tagged Vanessa Bryant.

“The textured black upper is accented with bold cardinal and gold Swooshes and gold Kobe logos on the tongues, as well as Kobe’s signature on the back heel. The team will debut these new cleats this weekend for the game against UCLA.” – against city rivals UCLA Bruins, which marks the 94th time the two teams have met. Interestingly, the rivalry also exists between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

UCLA is a Jordan Brand school that wears Jumpman logos on its uniforms in addition to Air Jordan cleats. USC is now a Nike school with close ties to the family of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Speaking of close ties, last year the college’s basketball teams also received a unique gift from Vanessa Bryant and the Swoosh brand.

USC added on its social media in November 2023: “Vanessa Bryant is gifting the USC men’s and women’s basketball teams a pair of “Reverse Grinch” Kobe 6s 🐍.“Throughout the video, several athletes thanked the 42-year-old philanthropist for making this possible. The program was part of the Mamba program, which Venessa created in honor of Kobe and Gigi. “We are grateful for the great support of these prestigious universities…to advance Kobe and Gigi’s legacy!” she had said.

The initiation was a shared vision between Vanessa, Nike and the Mamaba & Mambacita Sports Foundation – an organization dedicated to creating a positive impact for underserved athletes in their memory. Clearly, Vanessa has found numerous ways to carry on the Lakers legend’s legacy along with her daughter’s, and the past year speaks even more of that.

How Vanessa Bryant is keeping the Lakers legend’s legacy alive

This May, 100 boys and girls had the opportunity to play basketball to celebrate Gianna’s 18th birthday. It was the children of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Whittier, LA Harbor and West San Gabriel Valley who enjoyed the occasion. Additionally, Nike and Vanessa Bryant released a Kobe 8 Protro “Mambacita.”

Vanessa Bryant’s post read: “Today we brought together over 100 boys and girls from @bgcofwhittier, @wsgvbgc, @bgclaharbor to join us at the @lakers facility for an unforgettable @MambaMambacitaSports Skills Academy Basketball Camp to honor my Gigi’s 18th birthday. We would like to thank our dedicated partners @nikeLA, @uscwbb and all the trainers who made this day very special.”

Additionally, Vanessa Bryant announced last year that six universities were participating in the “Mamba Program.” The University of Connecticut, the University of Southern California, the University of Oregon, Duke University, Louisiana State University and the University of Kentucky wore Kobe Bryant and Gigi’s shoes as a tribute. Now the USC football team would honor Kobe against its rival UCLA.