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Kobe Bryant's sports academy retires "Mamba" nickname

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Matt Rourke/AP
FILE - In this March 21, 2019, file photo, former Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant listens to a question as he meets with students at Andrew Hamilton School in Philadelphia. The Southern California sports academy previously co-owned by the late Kobe Bryant has retired his “Mamba” nickname and rebranded itself nearly four months after the basketball icon's death in a helicopter crash. The Thousand Oaks-based facility announced Tuesday, May 12, 2020, it would return to its original name of Sports Academy and retire the “Mamba” name to the rafters. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Kobe Bryant
Posted at 4:48 PM, May 12, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-12 19:48:24-04

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Southern California sports academy previously co-owned by Kobe Bryant has retired his “Mamba” nickname and rebranded itself nearly four months after the basketball icon's death in a helicopter crash.

Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people were killed as they flew to a basketball tournament Jan. 26 at the Mamba Sports Academy. The Thousand Oaks-based facility announced Tuesday it would return to its original name of Sports Academy and retire the “Mamba” name.

The helicopter crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board amid ongoing lawsuits and civil complaints.

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