Sports Academy to drop 'Mamba' from name out of respect for Kobe Bryant

The Mamba Sports Academy was launched in 2018 as a joint athletic training business venture between Kobe Bryant and Chad Faulkner.

The Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks will remove “Mamba” from its name out of respect for Kobe Bryant, as confirmed by CEO and co-founder Chad Faulkner to The Undefeated.

“Our beliefs and thoughts are that Kobe is one of one. ‘Mamba’ is one of one. And with that as we carry on as The Sports Academy, it’s more appropriate to put Kobe in another Hall of Fame, if you will, and to really respect a legacy that is really unrivaled, frankly, and let that live on its own. We will continue to do the work we do. We were fortunate to learn from Kobe. We will carry on much of those learnings that we have in a respectful way,” Faulkner said.