When Rory McIlroy hit the course today at the Masters, he became the first of hundreds of Nike athletes to pay homage to basketball star Kobe Bryant as part of a weeklong celebration leading up to "Mamba Day" on April 13, according to the company.

McIlroy is wearing special Kobe-inspired Nike golf cleats today, prominently featuring black and gold. As Nike explained in a news release, the color scheme is "a metaphoric nod to Bryant's golden career fading to black on April 13."

Rory McIlroy is first Nike athlete to honor Kobe, wearing this black & gold cleat today at the Masters pic.twitter.com/beMQB11S8a — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 7, 2016

The global tribute will encompass athletes in multiple sports, including golf, baseball, soccer and, of course, basketball. Per the website NBA Shoes Database, there are currently 61 NBA players wearing some model of the Nike Kobe signature sneaker, including Bryant himself.

April 13, aka "Mamba Day," will also mark the release of the Kobe 11 "Black Mamba" edition, the final sneaker in a 13-shoe collection celebrating Bryant's time with Nike. The first sneaker, released on March 22, was all white, and each subsequent release has been progressively darker, culminating in the black and gold Kobe 11 to continue the "fade to black" theme.