Los Angeles (AFP)

Co-founded by Kobe Bryant, the Mamba Sports Academy will remove from its name "Mamba", the nickname of the late NBA star, in his memory.

"Kobe is unique. Mamba is unique," said training center director Chad Faulkner, who co-founded the academy near Los Angeles in 2018 with Kobe Bryant.

"It is better to put Kobe in another + Hall of Fame +, and to respect a legacy that is second to none," he continued on ESPN.

Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident in January, called himself "Black Mamba" and called his quest for excellence "Mamba mentality".

The Los Angeles Lakers, the franchise with which Kobe Bryant has made his entire professional career and won five NBA titles, had already removed in his memory the jerseys 8 and 24, the two numbers he wore.

Since his death and that of his daughter Gianna, nicknamed "Mambacita", the widow of Kobe Bryant renamed "Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation" the foundation of aid to young sportsmen he had founded.

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