Barcelona Launch New Kobe Bryant Away Jersey for 2026–27

Black Mamba’s legacy lives on, six years after his passing.

The Kobe ‘Sheath’ returns for a second year. | Nike/Kobe x FC Barcelona

For the second year running, Barcelona will wear an away jersey created in collaboration between Nike and the Kobe Bryant brand.

Barça debuted a 2025–26 secondary kit featuring Kobe’s ‘Sheath’ logo in place of the usual Nike swoosh and 2026–27 sees a continuation of that partnership.

The Spanish champions celebrate an “alliance” that shares the same values: “competitiveness, ambition and excellence.” They say both Barcelona’s identity and the late NBA icon’s legacy share a “relentless drive” to keep competing and go as far as possible.

Wear the colours. Chase greatness.
Every challenge builds confidence. Every victory builds legacy.
Introducing the FC Barcelona x Kobe 2026/27 Away Kit.@nikefootball pic.twitter.com/u2ZSsduI9e

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 24, 2026

Black—“a symbol of determination” and touching base with Kobe’s Black Mamba nickname and persona—is the dominant jersey color, fading to purple that continues into the shorts. Gold detailing also features, with both colors a nod to the 18-time All-Star’s NBA career.

The pattern is inspired by snake skin and a Kobe quote—“Leave the game better than you found it.”—features as a subtle tribute inside the collar.

Kobe’s logo on an elite soccer jersey highlights the growing presence of basketball brands in the sport, as Paris Saint-Germain have been aligned with Nike’s Jordan brand for several years already. Kobe, who passed away in 2020 as a result of tragic helicopter crash that also claimed the life of his daughter, Gianna, and seven other people, was a soccer fan.

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Kobe Bryant’s ‘First Sport’ Was Soccer

Kobe Bryant was a fan of FC Barcelona during his life. | MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

Bryant lived in Italy for seven years as a child while his father played professional basketball there, around the time that AC Milan was the dominant soccer force in Europe. The Rossoneri remained his favorite team even after the family permanently moved back to the States in 1991.

Kobe called soccer his “first sport” and later credited it with developing skills like footwork, spatial awareness and anticipation that helped him on the basketball court. It was also something he encouraged young basketball players to pursue for such benefits.

Even with his love of Milan, Kobe became enamored with Barcelona around 2005. Eventually, he came to count Camp Nou icons Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi among his personal friends.

In 2017, he told ESPN, “I still love AC Milan—though they don’t wear my brand of choice—and FC Barcelona. If you cut my arm open, you’d see four colors; blue and [garnet], and red and black.”

Kobe loved the city of Barcelona as much as the club and teased while playing warmup matches with the U.S. team in Spain prior to the 2012 Olympic Games in London that he eventually wanted to move his own career there with FC Barcelona Bàsquet in the EuroLeague. It never happened in reality, after his final years in the NBA were plagued by injuries.

“I really like Spain, so I could end up playing here,” Kobe had said at the time. “If I have to choose, I love Barcelona more than Real Madrid. I’d like to finish my career in Barcelona because I love the city, it has a great beach, and I could also go and watch the soccer team.”

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