Lakers: Black Mamba Will Live on in Atlanta Zoo

Kobe will receive many gifts on his farewell tour. Atlanta is steeping up to the plate with a unique offering.

The Atlanta Hawks have announced the gift they will be presenting Kobe Bryant ahead of his final game in Atlanta tomorrow night. They have gone outside the box on this one and partnered with the Atlanta Zoo to name their Black Mamba “Kobe”.

It’s a beautiful end to the career of a player who referred to himself as The Black Mamba for many years. The deadly snake is how Kobe chose to represent himself, and now that symbol will live on in Atlanta.

In addition to the snake, the Hawks will be making a donation to the Atlanta Zoo in Kobe Bryant’s name, to further honor him.

Kobe is sure to receive many gifts this year, and Atlanta is setting the bar high. It will be exciting to see how other teams match this offering. Perhaps the Golden State Warriors will give Kobe his own vineyard, since he likes the name “Vino.” At the very least he deserves a custom bottle of wine named after him. Maybe one team will find a way to honor “Mr. 81” in a fashion that also represents their city. 81 bottles of wine could be a way to satisfy both nicknames.

The Lakers have a lot of teams left to visit, so there’s plenty of time for someone to top this, but it won’t be easy. Not all gifts will be this original; Atlanta deserves props for coming up with a new element to the farewell tour. Maybe Kobe will start visiting Atlanta more, so he can hang out with his a fellow Kobe and a fellow Black Mamba.

Philly brought a heartfelt video but Atlanta has raised the bar. It will be exciting to see how the  Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors honor him this weekend. Maybe the 81 points will come into a gift sooner, rather than later.

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