With the 2024 Paris Olympics concluding Sunday, promotions for Los Angeles in 2028 have already begun.
An official Kobe Bryant emblem for the 2028 Los Angeles designed by Vanessa Bryant was unveiled Sunday. The mark features Kobe’s Nike logo hosted inside a purple and gold snakeskin “A” in “LA28.”
In a video announcing the logo, Vanessa said: “Kobe wanted the games to come to LA because of his passion for the city, all the love Angelenos have shown for our family and all our fond memories here. …I’m proud that Kobe gets to help tell a piece of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic story. We designed this emblem in his honor. We hope this inspires the mamba mentality in every aspiring Olympian and Paralympian.”
The spot also includes footage of Bryant discussing Los Angeles being awarded the summer games prior to his passing. “There’s so many icons that come from the city of Los Angeles, that live in the city of Los Angeles,” he said. “There’s so many different fields that it makes complete sense to host the Olympics here. There’s so many things that you can do to even elevate it to higher level, to tell the beautiful of journey and story of these athletes that are represented in these Olympic games.”
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Nike’s Kobe logo, known as the “Sheath,” was introduced when Bryant first signed with Nike after leaving Adidas in 2003. In a 2008 interview with Sole Collector for the Nike Kobe 4, Bryant said of the mark: “The logo, to me, is more of an inspirational symbol in terms of what you use to drive you. That symbol is where I store that and where I hold that fuel.”
The Los Angeles Olympics has sanctioned more than 50 custom logos for the 2028 games, including designs from the streetwear brand The Hundreds, musicians Snoop Dogg and Billie Eilish and Olympic athlete Chloe Kim.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
