5-time NBA champion and legend Kobe Bryant was back in Manila for the seventh time this past weekend for Nike’s Mamba Mentality Tour. Fresh off his retirement from a 20-year career and a 60-point farewell game, Kobe comes back with a different mindset and approach towards the game he loves, playing the role now of a mentor and teacher to young kids and spreading his ‘Mamba Mentality’ mindset. “To sum up what ‘Mamba Mentality’ means, it means to be in constant quest to try and be the best version of yourself. That’s what the mentality is. It’s a constant quest to be better today that you were yesterday and be better tomorrow than you were the day before,” Bryant said. Kobe’s weekend was packed with different mini activities throughout the two days he was in Manila, with the main event being held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Follow more of Kobe’s Manila visit below through our photo recap. 
Kobe started the day early by surprising the runners from the Nike Run Club after their early morning 10K run. He greeted them with more training and physical challenges which was all part of his ‘Mamba Mentality’ approach.
The Black Mamba dropped by the Ususan Covered Court in Taguig and passed on some gold basketballs for the kids. He also invited them over to the Mamba Mentality Night at Smart Araneta that night.
Another surprise! Kobe dropped by our special Media Mentality Training in the morning where he gave us a taste of how he trains and keeps his body in top shape. 
Kobe spoke to the media at the official presscon hosted by Aaron Atayde where he talked about the origin of the ‘Mamba Mentality’, his post- NBA life, and how he approaches the game today. Bryant shared that his focus now is continuing to develop new and better products with Nike under his Kobe line and being more of a mentor to the younger generation of athletes.
What an entrance! Kobe does it for the fans on Mamba Mentality Night held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A special group of UAAP players got to interact with Kobe on the court as they went through a series of shooting drills, where the losing team had to go through suicides. Kobe said that you have to give yourself pressure even during practice sessions and consequences so that you keep pushing yourself to be better. At one point he shared that at his peak, he did 50 suicides just for fun. Now that’s Mamba Mentality for you.
What an ending! As a tribute to one of the greatest to lace up a basketball shoe, a special banner was unveiled for Kobe, hanging from the rafters, which will forever be part of the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Thank you Kobe for 20 years of legendary basketball and for inspiring athletes and non-athletes all over the world. What a way for Manila to say, Mamba Out!
The mamba was not done. The second day of the Mamba Mentality Tour kicked off with the Kobe Academy, where a group of 24 young basketballers were trained by Kobe himself, giving them a glimpse of his actual workouts. These kids went through a series of 4am training days before the Kobe event and the best 24 were selected to meet the Mamba. The Mamba Mentality tour aims to challenge and inspire the kids to be relentless and fearless in their pursuit to be the best they can be.
One Last stop. Kobe dropped by Nike Park Fort for a special session with select diehard Kobe fans. He talked about his future plans, product development with Nike and Mamba Mentality. Nike also released a special Kobe 11 colorway that’s exclusive to only the Philippines and China. The pair was released in very limited quantities.
One last signature on the wall and that’s it! Mamba out!
