Barcelona honors Kobe Bryant with new jersey bearing brand logo

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish soccer club Barcelona is paying tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant with its second uniform launched Tuesday.

The five-time European champion said its new jersey will replace the usual Nike swoosh logo “with the ‘Kobe Sheath’ — the sword in the sheath logo that identifies the Kobe Bryant brand.”

Barcelona said the club had a special relationship with Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in Southern California in 2020. He made appearances alongside club members and first-team players during his visits to Barcelona and when the club visited the United States.

“The shorts are black with Persian violet details and a textured snakeskin outline, a reference to the Black Mamba alter ego of Kobe,” Barcelona said.

The change, made in collaboration with Nike, will last three seasons.

“All in all, it is part of a brand collaboration between the NBA legend and FC Barcelona that is born out of a shared culture of sporting excellence that characterized Bryant and is also part of FC Barcelona’s DNA,” the club said.

“This agreement aims to keep alive that notion of brotherhood and at the same time create a link between Kobe fans and FC Barcelona to make the global impact of the American’s legacy even greater amongst the sporting community and fans.”

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