Kobe Bryant and Nike Form Youth Basketball 'Mamba League' in Los Angeles

A year after Kobe Bryant concluded his NBA career, Bryant and Nike have announced a partnership to establish a youth basketball program in Los Angeles. 

The Mamba League will instruct boys and girls aged 8-to-10 using a lower hoop, which the former Los Angeles Lakers star said will help them focus on technique and build confidence.

Citing a "play, learn, grow" league mantra, he espoused the importance of a "patient process" when teaching young players.

"I like seeing kids get better," Bryant said in the video. "I like seeing the light go on where they're like, 'OK, I couldn't do this last week, but now I can.' It's almost like watching magic slowly develop in front of your eyes."

Bryant has frequently criticized AAU basketball for not teaching kids proper fundamentals. Last year, per ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes, he called it "absolutely horrible for the game."

"I think we're doing a tremendous disservice to our young basketball players right now," Bryant told Holmes in January 2016. "That's something that definitely needs to be fixed, and it's going to definitely be one of the things that I focus on."

Now retired, he's acting on those concerns by implementing his preferred teaching methods in four Los Angeles neighborhoods.

[Nike, h/t Fox Sports' Brett Pollakoff]