*Kobe Bryant’s estate has ended his endorsement deal with Nike. Â
Bryant’s widow Vanessa explained on social media that the late NBA legend’s endorsement deal with the shoe giant expired this month and Kobe’s estate did not renew the contract, ESPN reports.
“Kobe’s Nike contract expired on 4/13/21. Kobe and Nike have made some of the most beautiful basketball shoes of all time, worn and adored by fans and athletes in all sports across the globe,” Vanessa said in a statement shared on her Instagram Story on Monday.
“It seems fitting that more NBA players wear my husband’s product than any other signature shoe,” she continued. “My hope will always be to allow Kobe’s fans to get and wear his products. I will continue to fight for that.”
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“Kobe’s products sell out in seconds. That says everything,” Vanessa added. “I was hoping to forge a lifelong partnership with Nike that reflects my husband’s legacy. We will always do everything we can to honor Kobe and Gigi’s legacies. That will never change.”
Per PEOPLE, Kobe signed with Nike in 2003 and continued to serve as a brand representative after his 2016 retirement from the NBA. That same year, he signed a five-year extension with the company.Â
A spokesperson for Nike told ESPN and USA Today in a statement, “Kobe Bryant was an important part of Nike’s deep connection to consumers.”
“He pushed us and made everyone around him better,” the statement continued. “Though our contractual relationship has ended, he remains a deeply loved member of the Nike family.”
Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in 2020 in a helicopter crash that also killed seven others.
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