With Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant set to play in Atlanta for the final time Friday, the Atlanta Hawks and Zoo Atlanta announced that the zoo will rename its black mamba snake Kobe in honor of Bryant, whose nickname is the Black Mamba.
Zoo Atlanta recently opened a multimillion-dollar, 9,700-square-foot complex called Scaly Slimy Spectacular: The Amphibian and Reptile Experience, which houses the black mamba and more than 70 other reptiles.
"Mr. Bryant is a legend on the court, and the black mamba is a legend in the wild," Zoo Atlanta president and CEO Raymond B. King said in the statement.
Hawks have teamed with the Atlanta Zoo by naming its black mamba snake Kobe in honor of Kobe Bryant's career pic.twitter.com/bufKKhnoCd
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 3, 2015Bryant isn't the first sports figure to inspire a zoo animal's name. Here's a look at some of the others.
Tony Parker: Lion
Last month, the Spurs guard won the right to name three lion cubs at the San Antonio Zoo through a charity auction. Since the cubs were two boys and a girl, Parker named them after his family, with one named TP after his initials, one named Axelle after his wife and one named Josh after their son. Parker also had a chance to spend some time with the lions after naming them. "It was pretty impressive," Parker told Spurs.com. "You worry since they're lions, but after about 10 minutes, they felt more comfortable with me and I felt more comfortable, too. We wanted to give back to the zoo. And to have this experience, too, it was just unbelievable."
A trio of lion cubs at the San Antonio Zoo now have names thanks to Spurs' @TonyParker 🐾 https://t.co/fxfrIJBNXf
— Jenah Ovalles-Forey (@jenah4A) November 24, 2015Jim Tressel: Penguin
The Columbus Zoo named one of its 10 Humboldt penguins Tressel shortly after her birth on Jan. 22, 2003, less than three weeks after the Buckeyes and coach Tressel beat Miami to capture the BCS National Championship. Even though Tressel the coach resigned in 2011 and the school forfeited all its games in 2010 because of NCAA violations, the zoo never renamed Tressel the penguin. "The bottom line is we love this penguin no matter what its name is," said Patty Peters, the zoo's vice president of community relations, "so there wouldn't be any reason to change the name."
Ezekiel Elliott: Penguin
National championships and Humboldt penguins just go together at the Columbus Zoo. After Ohio State won the first College Football Playoff championship in January, the zoo named a Humboldt penguin Zeke after Ohio State's star running back, who ran for 476 yards and six touchdowns in the two playoff games. Oh, and do you know who Zeke's mom is? You guessed it: Tressel!
Carmelita Jeter and Justin Gatlin: Cheetahs
Three years ago, two 3-month-old cheetah cubs at the National Zoo in Washington were named Carmelita and Justin after the fastest American runners at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Jeter won the silver in the women's 100 with a time of 10.78 seconds, and Gaitlin won bronze in the men's event with a time of 9.79 seconds.
Stephen Curry: Francois' langur
Last year, the San Francisco Zoo named one of its adorable, orange-headed male Francois' langur monkeys Curry. The baby monkey has been nothing but good luck for the Warriors and their star guard. Golden State won 16 straight games after the monkey's birth and went on to win its first NBA championship since 1975, while Curry was named the league's MVP.
Sergio Romo: Francois' langur
Curry wasn't the first Francois' langur to bring good luck to a Bay Area team. A female Francois' langur was born at the beginning of October 2014, and San Francisco Zoo officials said the orange-and-black baby monkey would bring good luck to the Giants. Well, by the end of the month, the Giants had won the World Series, and the monkey was named Romo after the team's beloved, bearded closer.
Andrew Bogut: Wallaroo
The Oakland Zoo named a wallaroo Bogut after the Australian-born big man signed with the Warriors three years ago. Zookeeper Adam Zuby, an avid Warriors fan, felt the name suited the marsupial well since wallaroos are native to Australia. "It's an honor to have this beautiful and unique animal named after me, and I appreciate the support from the Oakland Zoo," Bogut said at the time. "I look forward to having the chance to visit young Bogut and the other Aussie animals at the Oakland Zoo in the near future."
Dikembe Mutombo: Giraffe
Dikembe the giraffe was born at the Denver Zoo on Dec. 31, 1993, a few months before Mutombo helped the Nuggets pull off their improbable upset of the Seattle SuperSonics, becoming the first 8-seed to defeat a 1-seed in the NBA playoffs. The 16-foot-tall giraffe "can devour a head of lettuce better than the all-star center could block a shot," according to the zoo's website. He is the zoo's only male giraffe and has fathered a total of 16 offspring since 1996.
Madison Bumgarner and Hunter Pence: Kudu and Bongo
If a significant animal birth occurs at the San Francisco Zoo while one of the local teams is in the postseason, there's a good chance it will be named after a player. Such was the case in 2014, when a female greater kudu calf was born on Oct. 11 and a female eastern mountain bongo calf was born on Oct. 22 while the Giants were making a World Series run. The kudo was named Madison after the Giants' ace, and the bongo was named Pence after their popular right fielder. The Giants went on to win the World Series later that month.
Maxime Talbot: Tiger
Four years ago, the Pittsburgh Zoo named an Amur tiger, formerly known as the Siberian tiger, Max Talbot in honor of the center who then skated for the Penguins. He wasn't the only player from his team who inspired an animal's name. Many of the Pittsburgh Zoo's actual penguins are named after Penguins hockey players. When Talbot visited his tiger namesake, he discovered there was a female macaroni penguin named after goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who was his road roommate at the time. "I knew it!" Talbot told Penguins.com. "I'll make fun of him for a couple days. And then after that, I'm still going to make fun of him."