Kentucky Basketball selected as a Mamba Program, per report

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball program has been selected as a Mamba Program for the upcoming college hoops season, according to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim.

This is a partnership with the late Kobe Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, and the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in memory of Kobe and his daughter, Gigi Bryant, following their deaths in January of 2020.

Kentucky has actually worked with Mamba & Mambacita before. In October of 2022, the Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball programs partnered with Mamba & Mambacita to host a free basketball skills camp at the Joe Craft Center.

And this past May, Mamba & Mambacita gifted the men’s team Mambacita Kobe 4s prior to their trip to Canada for the GLOBL JAM.

According to Pilgrim, this partnership features players wearing exclusive Kentucky-themed Kobe sneakers and apparel this season, while there could be special uniforms featuring the Mamba logo incorporated in the future.

Pilgrim also notes that Vanessa hand-picked Kentucky for this program, though other schools will eventually join it.

Be sure to read the full KSR report here.