Kobe Bryant was taken from the world far too soon. He and his daughter Gianna passed away in a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of seven other people. It was an unspeakable tragedy that we almost still can't believe, just two and a half months later. Today, the NBA is remembering Kobe as April 13th marks the day in which the Los Angeles Lakers legend played his final game. This is the fourth anniversary of Kobe's infamous 60-point game, otherwise known as, Mamba Day. 

To celebrate the occasion, Vanessa Bryant took to Instagram and posted the video of Kobe's final "Mamba Out" speech at the Staples Center. This was an iconic moment in Kobe's history and considering the circumstances, it now elicits tears and memories of one of the greatest basketball players ever. Vanessa used the video as a vehicle to celebrate Kobe while also wishing that he and her daughter were still with us.

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My husband worked his ass off for 20 years. Gave it his all. All he wanted was to spend time with our girls and me to make up for lost time. He wanted to be there for every single milestone and special moment in our girls lives. He only got to enjoy 3 years and 9 months of retirement. We had 2 more daughters, he won an Oscar, he opened Granity studios, he became a 5x best selling author and coached Gianna’s basketball team in that time. She worked hard and gave her all 7 days a week just like her daddy. I wish I could back to that morning, every day. I wish they had a normal local game on 1/26. Life truly isn’t fair. This is just senseless.

A post shared by Vanessa Bryant ? (@vanessabryant) on Apr 13, 2020 at 10:37am PDT

Per Vanessa Bryant:

"My husband worked his ass off for 20 years. Gave it his all. All he wanted was to spend time with our girls and me to make up for lost time. He wanted to be there for every single milestone and special moment in our girls lives. He only got to enjoy 3 years and 9 months of retirement. We had 2 more daughters, he won an Oscar, he opened Granity studios, he became a 5x best selling author and coached Gianna’s basketball team in that time. She worked hard and gave her all 7 days a week just like her daddy. I wish I could back to that morning, every day. I wish they had a normal local game on 1/26. Life truly isn’t fair. This is just senseless."

While the loss of Kobe Bryant still hurts, there is no denying that his legacy will forever live on. All of his highlights and contributions to the game are immortalized and that's a testament to just how great he was.

Nike and Kyrie Irving have paid tribute to Kobe Bryant’s iconic signature sneakers over the last few years with special edition “Mamba Mentality” colorways inspired by some of Kobe’s most popular kicks. With “Mamba Day” (April 13th) on the horizon, rumors are swirling that Nike has plans to release the “Mamba Mentality” Nike Kyrie 6 next month.

Specific details regarding the release have not yet been announced, but you can get an idea of what the kicks will look like the leaked images embedded below.

The overall color scheme harkens back to the Bruce Lee-inspired “Mamba Mentality” Nike Kyrie 3s, which were inspired by the yellow and black jumpsuit worn by Lee in the 1978 film “Game of Death.” Specifically, this  Kyrie 6 borrows design cues from the unreleased “Mamba Mentality” Kyrie 3, featuring a predominately red build with four yellow claw marks. As is tradition, an alternate Kobe/Kyrie logo sits proudly on the tongue.

Any sneaker attached to Kobe will carry significantly more weight in the aftermath of his passing, so it’ll be interesting to see how Nike handles this release. Stay tuned for additional images and release updates, and click here to preview the “Lakers” Kyrie 5 that is rumored to drop this month.