Kobe Bryant has been calling himself the “Black Mamba” for years now, and now he is looking to cash in on the name. Kobe Inc. filed a trademark on May 2nd for the nickname, and the company will use it everything from athletic apparel to sneakers according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.
Kobe named himself after the venomous African snake after seeing the movie “Kill Bill,” whose main character goes by the nickname. “I read up on the animal and said, ‘Wow, this is pretty awesome,'” Bryant told the New Yorker in 2014. “This is the perfect description of how I would want my game to be.”
Currently, there are 13 registered trademarks for “Black Mamba” in the US. One of those trademarks is from boxer Roger Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle.
“Black Mamba” is the 11th trademark filing for Kobe Inc. The company’s other trademarks include phrases such as, “HeroVillain,” “Create Forever,” “Dream Epic” and “Friends Hang Sometimes, Banners Hang Forever.”
