'Black Mamba': Origin Of Kobe Bryant's Legendary Nickname

LOS ANGELES, CA — Countless prayers, memories and reactions from players, fans and people of all kinds have flooded the many corners of the internet in the hours after the news of Kobe Bryant's death.

Written in these messages are a variety of commonalities.

Immense sorrow for his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and the seven other people who lost their lives in the helicopter crash Sunday in Calabasas, California. Praise for Bryant's incredible impact on the world of basketball, his immense reach and success off the court, and the younger generation of NBA talent he's inspired.

And we'd be remiss not to include another phrase that has appeared over and over again in the Kobe tributes: "The Black Mamba."

It's a self-given nickname that Bryant wore like a coat since the early 2000s. It was an alter ego representing his work ethic, his attitude that nothing would stop him on the court, his feeling of no fear on the hardwood, and his mindset that every game was a battle.

"The Black Mamba" was possibly best displayed in this famous video clip of Bryant not flinching a muscle when the Orlando Magic's Matt Barnes fakes a pass inches from his face.

"The Black Mamba" is a nickname that many people recognize, but few people know that he gave himself during one of the most tumultuous times of his life.

In his 2015 documentary, "Muse," Kobe said he created "The Black Mamba" as a way to handle the struggles he was going through on and off the court in 2003 and 2004.

"I went from a person who was at the top of his game, had everything coming, to a year later, having absolutely no idea where life is going or if you are even going to be a part of life as we all know it," Bryant said in the documentary.

Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in Colorado during 2003. The case was eventually dropped by the prosecution after the accuser decided she would not testify. While Kobe never mentions the case during the documentary, he does on multiple occasions refer to how close his family came to breaking up during the period.

"I had to separate myself," Kobe said. "It felt like there were so many things coming at once. It was just becoming very, very confusing. I had to organize things. So I created The Black Mamba."

Kobe also shared with multiple media outlets that the idea for the nickname came from the Quentin Tarantino film "Kill Bill," in which the Black Mamba is described as a deadly assassin because of the snake's agility and aggressiveness, according to the Mirror.

Bryant and Nike created an extended commercial in 2011 in which he discusses creating an action movie with director Robert Rodriguez based on the character "The Black Mamba."

The Twitter hashtags #MambaOut and #RIPMamba were both trending across the platform on Sunday.

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