NBA: Lakers wear 'Black Mamba' jersey to honor Kobe Bryant


Kobe Bryant's jerseys. (From Vanessa Bryant's Instagram post)

The Los Angeles Lakers paid tribute to the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant by wearing the "Black Mamba" City Edition jerseys in their Game 4 playoff clash against the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday (Manila time).

Sports brand Nike gave Bryant, who would have turned 42 on August 23, the chance to design the jerseys which were first unveiled during the 2017-2018 season.

A view of the jersey of LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers for the game against the Portland Trail Blazers for Game Four of the first round of the 2020 Playoffs as part of the NBA Restart 2020 on August 24, 2020 at AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida. (Joe Murphy / NBAE via Getty Images / AFP)

Bryant, who led the Lakers to five NBA titles, co-designed the jerseys incorporating a snakeskin pattern with 16 stars on the side representing the team's overall championships. 

Vanessa, Kobe's widow, first showed photos of the jerseys on social media early August.

The Lakers also posted sample photos of the uniforms on Twitter to give the public a closer look of its design, which were later updated with a No. 2 inside a heart on the shoulder area to honor Gianna, Kobe and Vanessa's 13-year-old daughter.

Gianna wore No. 2 during her stint at the Mamba Sports Academy.

Kobe and Gianna, alongside seven others, perished in a helicopter crash last January 26 in Calabasas, California. They were on their way to a basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy.