The Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation (MMSF) and the Duke men’s basketball team hosted a MMSF Skills Academy basketball clinic on Thursday, Oct. 19, in the Krzyzewski Center on Duke’s campus.
Founded through the vision and memory of Kobe and Gigi Bryant, the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating positive impact for boys and girls in sports.
“On behalf of Vanessa Bryant and her daughters, we were so excited to be on Duke’s campus to share the incredible legacies of Kobe and Gianna Bryant,” said MMSF Executive Director Kat Conlon. “As the campers learned their lessons of Mamba Mentality and #PlayGigisWay, it was important to let the campers know that everyone is here to support them and to have fun!”
The clinic included 70 Durham-area girls and boys who are involved with local charter schools and the Emily K Center.
“It was such an honor for our team and our program to be a part of this,” said Duke head men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer. “Kobe was always someone I followed and admired. I’m a dad of a girl, and Kobe is the ultimate ‘girl dad.’ My daughter Noa has changed my life. To do this for Mamba and Mambacita — for Kobe and his daughter Gigi – and help continue their legacy in this way is very special.”
The Duke men’s basketball student-athletes broke the campers into stations based on the pillars of Mamba Mentality, while sharing Kobe and Gigi’s legacies and impacts. Scheyer and former head coach Mike Krzyzewski addressed the camp attendees to emphasize the Bryants’ impacts on and off the court. The Blue Devils highlighted the importance to #PlayGigisWay, which means to play with joy, curiosity and competitiveness while never taking any opportunity for granted.
“This was a terrific afternoon,” said Krzyzewski. “I had the honor of coaching Kobe and became very close with him. To see what his wife, Vanessa, has done in creating the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation to help kids, and choosing our school to be one of the few schools that are going to do it, is so special. Like I told the kids, Vanessa and the Bryant family are sending you their love. Coach Scheyer and his players did a great job. There was a lot of energy, it was beautiful.”
Kobe Bryant was coached by Coach K while playing for Team USA in various international competitions across an 11-year span, including Olympic gold medals at both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London games. And while Kobe never attended college, he publicly stated that he would have attended Duke University to play under the tutelage of Coach K.
Kobe and Gigi’s vision was to create a world where young women had equal opportunity to pursue their dreams through sports. The foundation honors their legacy by funding programs that support their vision.
Duke is one of six collegiate programs, alongside Kentucky, LSU, Connecticut, USC and Oregon, that have partnered with MMSF for the 2023-24 season. The teams will wear Kobe and Gianna Bryant Nike shoes throughout the season.
