Kobe masterminded Lakers' black snakeskin 'City Edition' jersey

Kobe Bryant continues to make his mark on the Los Angeles Lakers.

The team unveiled its new "City Edition" uniforms Wednesday, and it's a tribute to Bryant, by Bryant.

Related: Which teams have the absolute best and worst 'City' jerseys?

The Black Mamba, who recently got both his No. 8 and 24 jerseys retired by the team, was involved throughout the process of creating the first "Lakers Lore" jersey.

The final product is dominated by a black snakeskin design with purple and gold trim. It also features eight stars along both exterior sides of the shorts to represent the franchise's 16 championships, plus a gold "8" in the flap on the right leg and "24" on the left.

"The snake came to me immediately," Bryant told ESPN's Zach Lowe. "It came to me so fast, I was thinking, 'This can't be that easy. This idea is not going to work.' I spent months trying to talk myself out of it. But in the end, simplicity always wins."

He explained why the dark color scheme works on multiple levels.

"Black added a level of mystery," he said. "You watch athletes run up and down the floor, but you don't know what is inside of them. And that's what the black mamba stands for - what is inside of you. It doesn't stand just for me. It stands for an attitude that should be inside of you when you put the Laker jersey on. You should play with a killer approach."

The team will debut the alternates on Jan. 26 and wear them every Friday.