Search Results: kobe-bryant

• Mambacita First, Mamba Forever.

  Apr 3, 2022 Andrew Williams 0 Comments

  

   

  by Andrew Williams

   

  It was almost a year ago when the news that rattled the sneaker world and the NBA community hit the newsfeeds and timelines. Nike announced that all Kobe- related footwear and apparel will cease production. At this time the deal that Kobe locked in after his retirement in 2016 was coming to an end, and with the recent passing (at the time) of the late great player it seemed like we would never see another Nike Kobe shoe. It felt like we would have to look Devin Booker or Demar Derozan to open an eBay store before we see another Kobe shoe.  We can’t say we were aware of the reasons the deal fell through, but the Bryant camp was looking for the rare lifetime Nike deal which is currently only held by only by athletes like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Cristiano Ronaldo solely.  So this was going to be a tough sell for the Bryant camp and at that time the deal stalled out. 

   

     Oh happy day sneaker-heads on March 24 2022, Nike officially announced they will be partnering with Vanessa Bryant and the Bryant family on championing a new generation of fans focusing on youth sports.  So what that means is the first release we can expect to see will pay homage to Kobe and Gigi with the focus on Gigi Bryant.  

   

   Nike is expected to release the first shoe from this new partnership with the Bryant family. Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita Sweet 16” which will be releasing on what would have been Gigi Bryant’s 16th birthday May 1,2022. All proceeds from the shoe will benefit the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. 

   

   So I feel it would only be right in celebration of the new future of Nike/ Bryant partnership in my first let’s kick it, shoe review I will review the Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita Sweet 16”.

   

   Some of us already took a peak at these shoes back in May when some photos were leaked prior to the Bryant family having a deal in place.  The Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita Sweet 16” dresses the famous Kobe 6 silhouette in a white and textured black matching the late Gigi Bryant’s Mamba Academy uniform. The Kobe 6 silhouette is also adorned with both father and daughter name on the heel tucked right under the Mamba Academy logo. The  inside is  lined with black and white patterned fabric to give that true Mamba like feel to it. Definitely a must have shoe.  With the understated color way these Kobe 6 will be a hit on and off the court. I can see the sleek, elegant design this shoe can be dressed up from anything from a sports coat to a full tuxedo and still be the element that pops the outfit. The most impressive part was the shoe was completely designed by Vanessa Bryant to pay homage to her late husband and daughter. 

      With release dates appearing to be around the beginning of May we can be sure to find these as a summer staple for 2022 and years to come. So as I prep to devise a plan to obtain a pair of size 12  Kobe 6 Protro a part of me thinks back to that cold December night of 2020 scoping out a way to get the elusive final Grinch Kobe’s I quietly whisper to myself Mamba Forever. 

  

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  Andrew Williams is a Sports Analyst and Host of BallCourt - The World of Basketball with Coach Drew and Let's Kick It - Courtside.

   

   

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• Gene Therapy: Guilty Until Proven....Guilty - The Case For and Against Deshaun Watson

  Mar 15, 2022 Gene Clemons 0 Comments

  

   

  by Gene Clemons

   

  On March 11th a Harris County grand jury made up of 12 people sat and heard evidence presented to them for six hours and at the conclusion of their deliberation, they decided that there was no reason to go forward with sexual misconduct charges against Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson. It was a decision that marked the first legal action being decided in a case that has been tried in the court of public opinion for a year. The verdict had already been rendered. It was loud and almost unanimous; guilty! So of course, people were surprised to see this decision from the grand jury. After all, there were 23 women. They can’t all be lying, right?

   

  If we take a look at the timeline of this case, things never really seemed black and white and at best always felt like something wasn’t right. When the initial civil suit was filed, Watson’s attorney had documentation that they said showed that the accuser attempted to blackmail Watson about a consensual encounter and once he was non-compliant, the lawsuit was the next level of escalation. Shortly after the same attorney was able to get other women who were willing to file civil suits against Watson. As the suits piled up, so did the doubt about Watson’s innocence. After all, where there is smoke, there’s usually fire and this was quickly becoming a blazing inferno. But there was information that made no sense. The lawyer filing all of the suits, did not want to release the accusers' names to the defense. None of them made any criminal complaints and many of them met with Watson more than once. None of those things are enough to say a man is innocent, but it is enough to say there’s doubt.

   

  Shortly after the Houston police department opened a criminal investigation into Watson surrounding these allegations. Now things took a real turn. Media and those that were following the case felt as if this was the worst thing for Watson who was still actively trying to force a trade out of Houston because the team seemed as if they were going in a direction that Watson did not want to go. Some of the regular words and phrases that you heard used to describe Watson and his case were, “radioactive” “Not reliable at this time” “not worth the backlash”. Some people said that teams would be foolish to trade for him “given the uncertainty of his situation.” But the truth is that his situation was pretty simple. He had been accused of something that he emphatically denied and had not even been charged with a crime. So, the projections about Watson seemed to be based on a presumption of guilt and the risk associated with being linked to someone like that.

   

  So, after being drugged through the mud for the past year and called a “serial predator” Watson finally saw a victory. The grand jury decision meant that there would be no criminal case against him, and that allowed all of the trade discussions to pick up once again. Many teams are rumored to have shown interest and why not. For a team without a quarterback, Watson represents the lifeblood every team needs to make a run at a championship, and they all know that Watson not only has championship DNA, but he is also still one of the young guns in the NFL with room to continuously improve. But as soon as we began hearing the rumors about where he might end up, we started seeing the negatives pop up from people again.

   

  It's always amazing to watch people conveniently pull out their moral values in situations that are not warranted and don't really concern them. So many were too quick to condemn Watson and now, even with these new developments they don't want to admit that they may have been a little hasty with their condemnation. It is pride that gets in the way of people admitting that they could be wrong. As a result, they double down and in many cases get even louder. Trying to sway the people with their passion and anecdotal information rather than with the facts. This is what prolongs the embarrassment for all parties involved. For the accused, they never get the chance to put the incident in their rear view. For the accuser it is a reminder that they either were not believed, or lied and almost ruined someone’s life. 

   

  When Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and others died in a tragic helicopter crash, so many people came out to celebrate the life of this extraordinary man. Someone who had been taken from the world too soon and one that many believed had the opportunity to have a major impact on society well in the future. The stories talked about how much he loved being a father to girls and the responsibility he carried. There were stories about his support and advocacy for the WNBA and all of the countless philanthropic endeavors that he never wanted to be made public. But in the midst of all of the positive remembrance of his life and impact, there were still people who brought up the 2003 rape charge that was dismissed. Even in tragic death, people felt the need to bring up the lowest moment in an otherwise stellar life. That is the impact an accusation can have.

   

  In the end, there are no winners, there are only victims. That’s the sad part. The only people who will ever know what happened in those massage sessions are Deshaun Watson and those women. Everyone else is left with speculation. If we truly believed in the words “innocent until proven guilty” we would give those that have not been charged with a crime the respect of not being referred to as criminals. We must never forget that being accused is not the same as being convicted. The accused deserves as much respect and consideration as the accuser, especially when the evidence is he said, she said. It is ok to wait and see. Nobody is harmed by patience.

   

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  Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.

   

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