While his name appeared in a Nike ad earlier this year, this is the first time
Bryant's image will be featured, since the company dropped the embattled basketball player from its list of celebrity endorsers after his arrest for assaulting a woman at a Colorado resort, according to
The Associated Press. "Nike agrees with most NBA observers that Kobe ranks among the very best players in the NBA," Nike spokesman Rodney Knox told the
AP, and his training and preparation are key elements of his game."
A spokeswoman for the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Cynthia Stone, felt differently.
"Corporations like Nike play a huge part in creating role models for millions of young athletes," she told the
AP. "It would be a great inspiration to those young people if the endorsers were not only accomplished athletes, but also had a reputation for positive and ethical conduct."
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