Kobe Bryant's New Nickname is 'Vino,' NBA Lakers Star Announces Via Twitter

Kobe Bryant has officially retired his longtime nickname of "Black Mamba". According to Kobe's twitter, the Lakers' superstar shall henceforth be known as "Vino."

"Omg . My man just gave me a new nickname and I love it! Ha #vino" Bryant tweeted on the March 1.

Vino is the Italian and Spanish language word for wine.  The nickname refers to the idea that wine gets better with age is fitting for the 34-year-old guard. Bryant was also raised in Italy and the name may do double duty as a callback to his upbringing.

According to NBA.com, Bryant is currently topping his career averages in 9 of 13 statistical categories, in spite of the fact that Bryant is in the middle of his 16^th season of professional basketball.

Kobe claims his friend gave him the moniker, though that is up for debate. Bryant apparently never heard the rule about not giving yourself nicknames. Vino's predecessor "Black Mamba" was bestowed upon Bryant by one Kobe Bryant. Bryant claimed the Mamba tag was due to his ability to "strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession."

Legitimate or not, you can't argue with the logic behind the name. Bryant recently dropped 24 points on the Atlanta Hawks in a 99-98 Lakers' victory. During the game, Kobe embarrassed the Hawks' Josh Smith, a player nearly half his age. Bryant drove past Smith and schooled him with a rim-rattling monster of a dunk.

Smith spoke of Bryant in a  post-game interview.

"He's been doing it for a long time, so you have to respect what he brings to the table," Smith said. "He's an assassin. He wants that moment. But from a defensive standpoint, I love taking a challenge like that and try to step up and try to make it tough for him. It was kind of like a tug-of-war match. We were going back and forth, and they made one more play than we did to win the game. I live for moments like this."

What do you guys think? Is Vino a good nickname? Or are you Team Black Mamba forever?

Sound off in the comments.