Kobe Bryant branded trainers are set to worn by players on the six teams chosen for the Mamba programmes ©Getty Images

Six university basketball teams in the United States have secured "Mamba" programmes in honour of double Olympic champion Kobe Bryant.

Nike has awarded the six teams with the status for the 2023-2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season.

Vanessa Bryant, the widow of the basketball great, took to Instagram to announce the recipients after the University of Kentucky was named as the first to be honoured with the Mamba programme last month.

The University of Connecticut, University of Southern California, University of Oregon, Duke University and Louisiana State University have been chosen along with the University of Kentucky.

The programme will see players wear Bryant-branded trainers and apparel and have the "Sheath" logo on their jerseys.

Vanessa Bryant has revealed the recipients of the Mamba programme ©Instagram
Vanessa Bryant has revealed the recipients of the Mamba programme ©Instagram

"We are grateful for the amazing support of these prestigious universities towards the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation to further the legacies of Kobe and Gigi," Vanessa Bryant wrote in a post on Instagram.

"So excited to see their players wearing Kobe and Gigi’s Nike shoes this upcoming season."

Bryant and his daughter were killed in a helicopter crash in California in January 2020.

During his career, Bryant won five National Basketball Association Championships, and was an 18-time All-Star and a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team.

He was a member of the United States teams that won Olympic gold medals at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.