Nike responds to Kobe Bryant’s retirement letter to basketball
Nike has responded to Kobe Bryant’s heartfelt letter which he addressed to the game of basketball upon announcing his retirement last year.
Nike
The US sports brand has posted a poignant retort to Bryant on behalf of the game of basketball in which it thanked him for his contributions to the sport.
The tweet was captioned, “He has given the game everything. Now it’s giving back,” while showing a black-and-white image of The Black Mamba looking onto the court.
He has given the game everything.
Now it’s giving back.
This is Basketball's letter to @KobeBryant. pic.twitter.com/UYXJYHAuXf
— Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball) August 11, 2016
The heartfelt message reflects on Bryant’s ups and downs throughout his exceptional career, including battling adversity and his record-breaking achievements.
It ends with an acknowledgement of his undeniable stamp on the game of basketball. “I have inspired many but been inspired by few,” it said.
In November last year the former LA Lakers star issued a touching letter exclusively to Player’s Tribune in which he confirmed of the news of his retirement, signing off “Love you always,Kobe”.
The reply from Nike comes amidst its Rio Olympics ‘Unlimited’ campaign which was created by Wieden + Kennedy Portland and has included a number of ads such as its transgender Unlimited Courage ad and its Unlimited You ad which can be viewed below.