Kobe Bryant’s Dream Lives On With New Mamba Cup Trademark

It’s been over three years since the tragic helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant, his young daughter and seven others. The athlete was on the way to his daughter’s basketball game in the inaugural Mamba Cup, a youth tournament created by Bryant and Sports Academy. The tournament was canceled after the accident, but a new Mamba Cup trademark application seems poised to help the dream live on.

A Dream Revived: The Mamba Cup

During his life, Kobe Bryant recognized a need for league play among younger basketball players. He joined forces with Mamba Sports Academy — a callout to Kobe’s “Black Mamba” nickname — to help meet this need. The partnership resulted in the creation of the very first Mamba Cup, which was supposed to culminate with a Championship Tournament on March 21-22, 2020. Unfortunately, Bryant died just two months before this date.

After the tragedy that took the basketball star, his daughter and several others was reported in the media, the remainder of the inaugural Mamba Cup was canceled. A few months later, the Mamba Sports Academy simplified its name to “Sports Academy” out of respect for Bryant’s family. It seemed like the dream had died along with Kobe, but a new “Mamba Cup” trademark application seems poised to revive it.

Mamba Cup Trademark Filed by Kobe Bryant, LLC

While Bryant may be gone, the business empire he created during his lifetime is still active. In fact, Kobe Bryant, LLC filed over a dozen trademark applications in just the first 15 months following the athlete’s death. Many of these applications were related to Bryant’s daughter (e.g., Play Gigi’s Way) and the league he helped create (e.g., Mamba League). However, it was in April 2023 that the application for a Mamba Cup trademark was finally filed.

The new application seeks protection under a variety of trademark classes. These classes cover items and services that include clothing, sports bags, wristbands and basketball tournaments. Each of these was filed on an intent-to-use basis. An intent to use trademark signifies that the applicant has a bona fide intention to use the term “Mamba Cup” in commerce or in connection with the goods and services identified in the application.

While it would not be surprising if the trademark were filed to merely protect products created by Kobe Bryant, LLC, it seems as if the goal may be a bit loftier than mere merchandising opportunities. As the application included Trademark Class 41, it would appear as if there’s an intent to restart the Mamba Cup league in its entirety. While there’s no way to predict how this will culminate, it’s undoubtedly significant news for Kobe fans and the basketball world as a whole.

What Happens Now?

While there’s no arguing that the “Black Mamba” nickname and Mamba Cup are inextricably linked to Kobe Bryant, the trademark application will have to go through the traditional process. This means that an examining attorney will have to review the application. If the application is approved, it will be published in the Official Gazette so that any interested parties can file a Notice of Opposition if they so choose.

It’s impossible to predict whether there will be any hurdles during this process. After all, one might think that Sports Academy would have some claim to the Mamba Cup trademark. However, we cannot overlook their willingness to drop “Mamba” from their name out of respect for Bryant’s family. This action would make any attempt to interfere with the registration of the trademark a surprising turn of events.

For now, we can only wait to see if Kobe Bryant’s dream for the Mamba Cup will finally come to fruition.