Nike releases Kobe Bryant theme song composed by Grammy-winning artist
Kobe Bryant gets his own uplifting track from a young Jazz legend in Robert Glasper.
By
Matt Moore
•
1 min read
We're headed into the home stretch for Kobe Bryant's final season in the NBA. There are sure to be more tributes for the Los Angeles Lakers legend, more celebrity moments, more tremendous memories in honor of one of the greatest players of all time.
And you knew Nike was going to pull out some special stuff for Bryant, who's a staple of their company globally. Among other elements, the shoe magnate has released a new video with a song especially composed by Grammy-winning jazz artist Robert Glasper. He's been nominated five times for a Grammy, winning twice, including last year for "Best Traditional R&B album." It's a theme song for Bryant's career, and what he's meant to the sport of basketball. Check out the video and song below.
Three thoughts:
1. This makes me really excited for what they're going to do for Bryant's final few games. There's going to be a "Thank You" Kobe commercial and in typical Nike fashion, it's going to be amazing. There will be something at All-Star Weekend, there will be commemorative shoes, the works. And it's all going to be very, very awesome.
2. I like jazz but I'm not an enthusiast and this made me want to listen to more of Glasper. He's incredibly talented, as you would imagine a Grammy-winning jazz artist would be. So it's cool that Nike is able to maybe showcase him to people who wouldn't normally hear him.
3. This song doesn't fit Bryant at all. This is uplifting, I Believe I Can Fly-type stuff. It's a heroes anthem. The man is the biggest villain to a lot of fans, and has always loved that role. He's the most venomous player since Iverson. He needs an Imperial March-type theme song, not an inspirational, joyous anthem. It does, however, fit the narrative that Nike wants to showcase about him, so I get it. However, it would be cool if they released the Black Mamba version that is dark and foreboding. Jazz allows for all that, that's one of the cool things about the music. Still, it's a really good song and this will probably be something people love.
