The Dodgers' Kobe Bryant Jersey Giveaway Shows How to Embrace Nontraditional Holidays

The Los Angeles Dodgers are celebrating an icon from a different franchise on Sept. 1.

As part of Lakers Night, the Dodgers are giving away a special-edition Kobe Bryant jersey, which features both of his numbers — 8 and 24 — on a black and yellow jersey.

The jersey's left sleeve has the Lakers' "LA" logo, while the front uses the classic Dodgers script, and has 8 on the front and 24 on the back.

Also, the whole jersey has a "Black Mamba" all-over print to touch on Kobe's nickname.

The @Dodgers are giving away exclusive Kobe Bryant Black Mamba jerseys for Lakers Night on September 1 🐍🔥 @MLBLife pic.twitter.com/0XTtBR29sU

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) July 24, 2023

It's actually a tie-in with the date of Aug. 24 (or 8/24) what has become an unofficial day of remembrance for Bryant, who passed away in 2020. However, since the Dodgers are playing in Cleveland that night, the celebration is on hold until they get back to town in September.

Aside from this being a way to create a cohesive identity for Los Angeles franchises and attract fans beyond just Dodgers fans who will want something to commemorate one of the city's (and sport's) greatest players of all time, it also uses a non-traditional holiday, which requires an extra bit of creativity.

Looking at a calendar, it's natural to look at the holidays that we typically think of as days off of work. But, if you can dig a little deeper and think of things that people will want to celebrate beyond the traditional, you can create a clever and memorable promotion.