The late, great Kobe Bryant was famous for his work ethic, and his commitment to improving every element of his game inspired athletes around the world, on and off the court. This relentless drive for improvement is celebrated in a new Nike film commemorating Mamba Mentality, “Better.”
Narrated by Kendrick Lamar, “Better” celebrates the universal relevance of progress and highlights Kobe’s prolific desire for improvement. The Mamba Mentality is about getting better, every day, in everything we do. In his own words, Kobe described his Mamba Mentality by saying, “It’s to constantly try to be the best version of yourself. It’s a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday.” While incremental change may feel small in the short term, those subtle shifts culminate to greater progress over time. This relentless drive for improvement is the legacy Kobe leaves.
Kobe taught us to be better: a better teacher, a better teammate, a better loser, a better winner. As Kendrick says in the film, “Just be better.” Whatever it is that you’re trying to improve — work to be better today than you were yesterday. That’s the Mamba Mentality.
This :90 anthem film was directed by Melina Matsoukas of PRETTYBIRD for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
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Credits
Client Nike Agency Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Alberto Ponte, Ryan O’Rourke, creative directors; Kevin Steele, copywriter; Emma Barnett, art director; Matt Hunnicutt, head of production; Jake Grand, Krystle Mortimore, executive producers; Emily Knight, producer; Jasmyn Barr, associate producer; Paula Bloodworth, group strategy director; Anthony Holton, strategist. Production PRETTYBIRD Melina Matsoukas, director; Bradford Young, DP; Ali Brown, president/exec producer; Tracy Hauser, director of production; John Winters, line producer. Editorial Spot Welders Robert Duffy, editor; JC Nunez, assistant editor; David Glean, managing partner; Carolina Padilla, exec producer. VFX a52 Kevin Stokes, Michael Vaglienty, Gretchen Capatan, John Valle, Dan Ellis, Flame artists; Andy Rafael Barrios, VFX supervisor; Drew Rissman, VFX producer; Kim Christensen, Patrick Nugent, VFX exec producers. Mix/Sound Design Joint Editorial Noah Woodburn, audio mixer; Leslie Carthy, exec producer. Music Adaptation of “Midnight Sonata” Music Supervision Walker Sara Matarazzo, sr. exec producer; Stephanie Pigott, exec producer; Danielle Soury, producer.
Climate change is increasingly affecting children’s access to quality education worldwide. In schools across multiple regions--especially in tropical and low-income countries--extreme heat waves have emerged as a silent barrier, undermining concentration, academic performance, and the physical and emotional well-being of millions of students and teachers. To make this invisible crisis impossible to ignore, UNICEF Brazil set up an immersive installation called “Unlikely Greenhouse” at the Esplanada dos Ministérios, a landmark avenue in Brazil’s capital where federal ministries and major civic demonstrations are located.
The installation transformed a life-size, scenographic classroom into a literal greenhouse heated to 38°C (100°F), simulating the temperatures many children already face in real classrooms during heat waves. By allowing visitors to feel the discomfort caused by extreme heat, UNICEF sought to demonstrate how rising temperatures are reshaping the basic experience of attending school and to reinforce the urgent need for climate adaptation within educational systems.
The concept is simple yet powerful: in numerous regions, temperatures are rising to levels that make healthy learning virtually impossible. Under such conditions, schools resemble greenhouses more suitable for cultivating heat-resistant plants than for fostering educational activities.
Beyond the physical experience, children who visited the greenhouse were invited to participate in educational activities about how climate change affects daily school life. The “Unlikely Greenhouse” project was conceived by ad agency Artplan in Brazil.
“‘Unlikely Greenhouse’ starts with a direct question: how can scientific data be transformed into an... Read More
