Today, August 23rd, would have marked the 42nd birthday of late basketball star Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier this year. To celebrate Bryant’s birthday on Sunday, his longtime sponsor Nike rolled out an inspirational promo video in tribute to the late athlete, which features narration by Los Angeles-based hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar.
Related: Flea Performs Bass-Only National Anthem Before Kobe Bryant’s Final Home Game [Watch]
The 90-second video delivers a mix of highlights from Bryant’s Hall-of-Fame career along with other athletic-inspired footage of other notable figures while Lamar’s voice is heard saying, “Kobe taught us to be better. Better dreamer. Better waker. Better stretcher. Better walker. Better talker.” The tempo of Lamar’s dialog moves faster as the video continues, along with the intensity of his scripted rhetoric. It’s no surprise that Nike tapped someone with sublime speaking abilities like Lamar to help inspire viewers while watching the collection of motivational footage of the famously-competitive Bryant.
Listen to Lamar’s dialog in the new Nike video below.
Nike – Mamba Forever Commercial feat. Kendrick Lamar
[Video: Nike]
Click here to watch Kobe Bryant’s impressive performance of Ludwig van Beethoven‘s “Moonlight Sonata” as backed by the Loring String Quartet.