Kobe Bryant Birthday And ‘Mamba Mentality’ Celebrated In New Nike Short Film, ‘Better’

The late Kobe Bryant was born on Aug. 23, 1978, and to commemorate his birthday and his spirit, Nike has issued a new short film celebrating his relentless drive for perfection.

The film, Better, is narrated by Kendrick Lamar and focuses on what the athletic wear firm calls “The universal relevance of progress, and highlights Kobe’s prolific desire for improvement. The Mamba Mentality is about getting better, every day, in everything we do.”

Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 of this year with eight other people, including his daughter, Gianna. He has been selected for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame after a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also won an Oscar in 2018 for his animated short, Dear Basketball.

Kobe Bryant described his famed “Mamba Mentality” thus: “It’s to constantly try to be the best version of yourself. It’s a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday.”

Beyond athletics, the film tries to inspire everyone to achieve more than they have done in all aspects of life. To that end, Nike has created “Mamba Week,” a series of lectures, podcasts and goals for the week.