Kobe Bryant Filed ‘Mambacita’ Trademark for Daughter Gianna Less Than 1 Month Before Crash

As if the news of Kobe Bryant‘s passing wasn’t tragic enough, TMZ has reported that the athlete actually made a move to have his daughter, Gianna “GiGi” Bryant, who also died in the helicopter crash, follow in his footsteps mere weeks before this incident. According to the publication, Kobe filed a trademark for the name “Mambacita,” less than a month before his untimely passing. The nickname would have been a fitting one for his daughter, as the 13-year-old was beginning to make a name for herself on the basketball court just like her father.

TMZ reported that Kobe filed the trademark for “Mambacita” on Dec. 30, 2019. The plan for the name, which is an obvious tie back to his own “Black Mamba” nickname, was to have it put on all kinds of sportswear, including hats, shorts and jerseys.

Kobe had already been referring to his daughter as “Mambacita,” particularly on social media. In November, the athlete posted a video of Gianna playing basketball (alongside Alyssa Altobelli, who also died in the helicopter crash) and referred to her as his “Mambacita.”

Kobe has long been known as the “Black Mamba,” so it was only fitting that he would file this trademark to have his basketball star daughter, the “Mambacita,” follow in his footsteps. As for where his nickname comes from, in a 2014 interview with the New Yorker, Kobe explained that he used the Kill Bill-inspired nickname to separate his life on and off the court.

“The name [Kobe Bryant] just evokes such a negative emotion,” he told the magazine. “I said, ‘If I create this alter ego, so now when I play this is what’s coming out of your mouth, it separates the personal stuff, right?’ You’re not watching David Banner — you’re watching the Hulk.”

The Laker also said in a 2015 interview with Ahmad Rashad that his nickname ties back to his well-established prowess on the basketball court.

“When I step on that court, I become that. I am that killer snake. I’m stone cold, man,” he said.

Kobe turned his “Black Mamba” alter-ego into a successful brand, launching both a Mamba League and Mamba Sports Academy, per CNN. On Sunday, Jan. 26, it was reported that Kobe, Gianna, and seven others, were on their way to a Mamba Sports Academy game when the helicopter they were riding in crashed in Calabasas, California. The crash resulted in the deaths of all nine who were on board.