Kobe Bryant in Black Mamba, directed by Robert Rodriguez

I guess he's fully embraced the ridiculous nickname he gave himself - - Kobe Bryant in Black Mamba, directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring Danny Trejo and Bruce Willis. Here are his latest shoes:




Here's the origin of the name:

Bryant started calling himself "Black Mamba" a few years ago, explaining to ESPN, "The mamba can strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession. That's the kind of basketball precision I want to have."

Here's Black Mamba by Joe Alterio:



And here's a Black Mamba t-shirt that sold out quickly:



*Buy Black Mamba t-shirts at eBay.

LeBron wasn't the only guy to decided to "take his talent" elsewhere

When Kobe Bryant announced that he was skipping college, he phrased it as "I've decided to take my talent to the NBA." (4:50 in.) Via.

*Buy LeBron posters at Amazon.

MINDstyle x CoolRain x NBA vinyl minifigures

MINDstyle x CoolRain x NBA vinyl minifigures series one, expected to be released just before the season starts.

*Buy NBA bobbleheads at Amazon.

Kobe Bryant/Black Mamba t-shirt

Kobe Bryant/Black Mamba t-shirt by Hydro74 at the Nike shop.

*Previously: Video of Kobe Bryant jumping over a pool filled with snakes.

*Buy NBA bobbleheads at eBay.

Kobe Bryant/Whitesnake mashup

Kobe Bryant apparently doesn't have a good enough manager to keep him out of photoshoots that produce pictures like this:




So Deadpsin is hosting a photoshop gallery that includes this gem:



(Kobe once said he'd like to have the nickname "Black Mamba.")

*Previously: Blog dedicated to band logos.

*Buy NBA bobbleheads at eBay.

If Rampage had been set in Victorian England (link roundup)

Victorian Rampage t-shirt design by Ian Summers for Threadless. Vote by clicking on the voting widget if you'd like the chance to buy it:



And a few more links:

1. Street Fighter paper toys.

2. From the recent dialogue between Bill Simmons and Malcolm Gladwell, I learned that Kobe is Nike's favorite client, and that former 49er Roger Craig is somehow still spry enough to run marathons.

3. Christmas tree creature paper toy.

*Previously: Squirrel goes on a rampage, injures three.

*Buy NBA bobbleheads at eBay.

Lego Pikmin (link roundup)

Filip Johannes Felberg has posted a series of Lego Pikmin creations. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Astonishing optical illusion, and you can see many more here. Via.

2. Fun gossip about Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's desperate attempts to cash in on Kobe's popularity, and Kobe's repeated, public snubbing of Villaraigosa. Via.

3. Papercraft taco trucks. Via.

4. Seems overblown, but here's how a reporter discovered Chris Anderson's plagiarism (hint, it involved a strange use of parentheses).

*Previously: Pikmin 2D.

*Buy Pikmin toys at eBay.

Leonidas Sackboy amigurumi (link roundup)

Leonidas Sackboy amigurumi by Maggie Wang, who takes commissions.

And a few more links:

1. The Fast and Furious would be way more interesting if it was based on drift racing in Saudi Arabia. Here's a taste of Robert Worth's fascinating article:

Drifting, which tends to attract poorer, more marginal men, has also been an unlikely nexus between homosexuality, crime and jihadism since it emerged 30 years ago. Homoerotic desire is a constant theme in Saudi songs and poems about drifting, and accomplished drifters are said to have their pick of the prettiest boys among the spectators.

Via.

2. "60 Minutes was, and is, a competitive and combative place . . . . It’s a place where grudges are held for a long time. I remember Ed Bradley, not long before he died, talking about how Mike Wallace had screwed him over on a couple of stories." Read more.

3. Portland Trailblazer Channing Frye points out some weaknesses in the plot of Twilight. And here's another hilarious Twilight review.

4. NY Knick's coach Mike D'Antoni was Kobe Bryant's idol when he was a kid.

*Previously: Leonidas makes a dinner reservation.

*Buy plush vampires at eBay.

Blind Justice statute (link roundup)

Blind Justice statue, available in high res here.

And a few more links:

1. Tucker Stone's top ten comics of 2008.

2. Here's a still from the upcoming Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs movie. Via.

3. Apparently Google recently updated websites' page ranks. This site will let you check a site's page rank quickly.

4. The Lakers employ "two full-time staffers who use eight digital video recorders, five laptop computers and 18 DVD burners to record, edit and copy footage for Lakers coaches and players." Kobe Bryant watches the most video.

*Previously: Ivan Drago, Justice Enforcer (the game).

*Buy NBA bobbleheads at eBay.

Kobe Bryant is Black Mamba

I am awfully jealous of whoever thought to ask Joe Alterio to draw him Kobe Bryant as a Black Mamba:




You can order your own monster or robot illustration by Alterio here.

*Previously: Kobe compares himself to the deadly Black Mamba.

*Buy books by Phil Jackson at Amazon.