Kendrick Lamar Narrates A New Nike Ad Honoring Kobe Bryant On His Birthday

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Not only were Kendrick Lamar and Kobe Bryant friends, but they also both have deals with Nike, which is what let to the rapper narrating a tribute to the late baller in honor of his birthday.

August 23, 2020 would have been Kobe’s 42nd birthday, also marking his first birthday since the tragic helicopter accident that killed Bryant, his daughter, Gigi, and 7 others. In honor of the Los Angeles legend, Nike decided to celebrate one of their biggest stars by getting some help from another big name in LA.

Nike’s latest ad, “Better/Mamba Forever,” is narrated by none other than Kendrick Lamar. For the video, Kendrick delivers a spoken word piece that demonstrates the intensity Kobe brought to every single portion of his life–not just basketball.

“Kobe taught us to be better,” Lamar says while images of Bryant flash across the screen. “Better leader, better generation, better nation,” Lamar continues. “Just be better. Can you do that? … Better me, better you, better us.”

Kobe Bryant was one of the few cases where someone actually practiced what they preach, and because of that, the Mamba Mentality is something that will live on forever.

In addition to honoring Kobe on his birthday, Nike is currently in the midst of a campaign called “Mamba Mentality Week”, an event that will be bringing together athletes to talk about Bryant’s incredible work ethic and highlights within his career.  According to Inside Hook, this week we will see a new edition release of Kobe’s highly sought after shoe the Kobe V Proto “Big Stage.”

Check out the latest ad for Nike, narrated by Kendrick Lamar, down below: