In Honor of Kobe Bryant, a Black Mamba Symbol Adorns Every Championship Ring
Recognizing the role Kobe Bryant played in inspiring the team’s special season, the LA Lakers incorporated his memory into the design of the championship rings for 2020. Jeweler Jason Arasheben said that the design he created for the rings paid tribute to Kobe and included a black mamba snake around the uniform number for every player. “Black Mamba” was the nickname Kobe would often use to refer to himself before retiring in April 2016.
Every ring also features a removable top which is set on a snakeskin-texture background and has tiny versions of all the retired jerseys of the team underneath. The jerseys with numbers “24” and “8” represent the numbers Kobe Bryant wore with the Lakers to win five NBA champions. Kobe and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, died this January in a helicopter crash.
Lakers Members Received Their Championship Rings at the First Game of the New Season
December 22, just before the Lakers were about to go out for their first game of the 2020-2021 season, and prior to the tip-off, the champions received their rings after they won the title back in October. With high-profile athletes such as Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the team looks ready for the next season. The first games of the new season for the Lakers will be against the San Antonio Spurs on the very last day of the year and then against the Memphis Grizzlies at the beginning of January.
The year was very trying for Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa. Earlier this month, Sofia Urbiet who is her mother, filed a lawsuit and alleged that she has been a personal assistant and nanny for Kobe and Vanessa and was never paid for her efforts. Vanessa responded by pointing out that Sofia is simply trying to get financial gains from the Bryant family.