Everything You Need To Know About The Mamba Sports Academy, Founded By The Late Kobe Bryant
His legacy lives on.
Getty Images When basketball great Kobe Bryant and eight others perished in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, it was revealed that they were on their way to the Mamba Sports Academy ace to watch Bryant's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and her teammates play a game.
Unwittingly, this place became one of the many things at the center of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash — so everyone wants to know: what is the Mamba Sports Academy?
Billed as a "fitness center" located in Thousand Oaks, CA, the Mamba Sports Academy gets its name from Bryant's nickname of "Mamba" (his daughter, Gianna, adorably went by the 'Mambacita'), which — by definition — is a large, agile, highly venomous African snake. To Bryant, however, "Mamba" was part and parcel of a bigger mentality, which he dubbed — what else? — Mamba Mentality.
"To sum up what mamba mentality is, it means to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself," he said.
Let's look at what we know about the Mamba Academy.
1. What is the Mamba Academy? It's a sports-centric school co-founded by Kobe Bryant.
Boasting over 100,000 square feet under air, in the heart of Thousand Oaks, CA, the Mamba Academy — full name: Mamba Sports Academy — boasts some of the most enviable sports and fitness facilities in the United States.
In addition to a self-defense dojo and a mondo running track, the Mamba Academy is home to five full-sized basketball courts, as well. The Mamba Academy is open to both children and adults.
2. Bryant co-founded the Mamba Sports Academy in 2018.
In 2018, as Gianna began showing more interest in sports (and basketball, in particular), Bryant co-founded the Mamba Academy with some of the best-known professionals in the sports industry.
The Academy's co-founder and CEO, Chad Faulkner, sits on the board of several prominent non-profit organizations, including the Special Forces Charitable Trust, Snyder Leadership Legacy Fellows, Soaring with Eagles Foundation, and the Sports Academy Foundation.
3. All the games at the Mamba Sports Academy stopped, simultaneously, on January 26, 2020.
When the world learned of Bryant's death due to a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, fans all over the world were stunned into silence. But no one could have been more stunned than the students at the Mamba Sports Academy.
Reportedly, when word of Bryant's death — along with the death of 8 others — reached the students of the Academy, all five basketball games that were taking place stopped at the same time.
4. Tributes are going on, even today, at the Mamba Sports Academy.
Like the rest of the world, at large, the students at the Mamba Academy are still in shock about the passing of Bryant — and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and their teammates. The students there took a few minutes out of their day to mourn the losses that took place on January 26, 2020.
You can check out a photo of their tribute to the Black Mamba below.
5. Gianna Bryant, and two of the other victims of the crash, were scheduled to play a game at the Mamba Sports Academy on the day they died.
Gianna Bryant, Alyssa Altobelli, and Payton Chester were all on their way to the Mamba Academy to play basketball in a tournament that was dubbed the Mamba Cup Series. Kobe Bryant, who coached all three girls on their team, was flying them to the Academy when the helicopter, piloted by Ara Zobayan, crashed just outside of Calabasas, CA.
6. The crash is still under investigation.
As of this writing, the crash that claimed the life of Kobe Bryant and eight others is still under investigation — and its circumstances have prompted the Internet to explode with conspiracy theories. The NTSB has more than 20 people on the ground in the greater Los Angeles area, investigating various things about the crash, and it could take months before they release a reason as to why the crash happened the way it did.
We will be sure to keep you updated on any and all updates about the tragic Kobe Bryant helicopter crash as they come in.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.