Mambacita Apparel Line Honoring Kobe Bryant’s Late Daughter, Gianna, Sells Out In No Time
The new Mambacita apparel line honoring Kobe Bryant’s late daughter Gianna sold out on Saturday (May 1)––on what would have been the teen superstar basketball player’s 15th birthday.
According to a representative of Kobe Bryant’s estate team, the clothing line sold out by early afternoon, CNN Business reports. Mambacita was Gianna’s nickname on the basketball court, that was a nod to her iconic father’s nickname, “Black Mamba,” given to him by Los Angeles Lakers fans.
Vanessa Bryant, gave her IG followers a sneak peak of the limited edition tie dye MAMBACITA x DANNIJO capsule. In an Instagram post, the widow and mother of four described the meaning behind the symbols and and colors.
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The purple hoodie paid homage to Gigi’s forever status as a Laker’s princess and the Black and White hoodie honored her Mamba uniform and the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. While the red font symbolized the red bow that Gigi would wear in her school pictures from kindergarten to the 8th grade.
A two-piece adult sweat set was priced at $332, while the children's sizes were $224. Adult hoodies cost $224, and $124 for the children’s sizes. Face masks were $24. All proceeds from the sales went to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports foundation, a non-profit charity created to honor Kobe and Gianna.
“Today is my Baby’s Birthday. When I thought about how best to celebrate Gianna’s birthday with so many who loved her, I knew it had to be a combination of sharing her bright and fun personality with her sense of purpose and passion that would help make a difference in this world,” Vanessa Bryant captioned another IG post with her daughter Bianka, 4, Capri, 1, and Natalia, 18, all sporting the purple tie-dye sweat suits.
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“Thank you to everyone who made this fundraiser possible, inspired by the loving memory of Gianna Maria- Onor’e Bryant,” she continued. “Please know our family deeply appreciates the way the world continues to celebrate our sweet girl, and we look forward to paying it forward to future Lil MAMBACITAS and Lady Mambas through the work of our Foundation.”
Kobe, Gianna, and seven other people were killed on January 26, 2020 when a helicopter crashed on its way from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice in nearby Thousand Oaks.
In February 2020, Bryant filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owner of the helicopter company involved in the crash. According to the Los Angeles Times, the complaint was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Fillmore-based Island Express Holding Corp. and Island Express Helicopter. The lawsuit alleges that pilot Ara Zobayan, who also died in the crash, failed “to use ordinary care in piloting the subject aircraft” and was negligent.