Kobe Inc., the business arm of recently retired Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, has filed to trademark his familiar nickname "Black Mamba."
The company filed for the trademark May 2, a record with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shows, with intent to use the nickname on everything from athletic apparel to sneakers.
Bryant, nor Nike, who pays him to endorse its shoes and has used the nickname in marketing, ever has trademarked the term.
Bryant named himself after the venomous snake from Africa after seeing "Kill Bill," whose main character goes by the nickname.