…I Set Out To Make A Product That Is True To Where I Am.

“I don’t set out to make a really hot shoe; I set out to make a product that is true to where I am.”
– Kobe Bryant

First off, to start this post off right, I need to quote last year’s because I want to expand on it and then add to it, so without further ado…

“Happy Mamba Day to all my fellow sports fans and, most importantly, Laker Nation. Today is Mamba Day, 8/24. If you’re not aware, that’s because those were Kobe‘s NBA numbers. It’s a day in Los Angeles and Orange County officially (I would guess far more than that now) to celebrate and remember what a generational talent he was, and we can only wish he were still here to celebrate with us all. I expressed my love for all things Lakers many times here and elsewhere, so this post is probably not a surprise...

This is my personal take on things because I mean that’s what we do here, but it needs to be said because sometimes people think it’s just about the basketball side. I loved Kobe on the court, no doubt about it. But what I loved more was seeing what he was doing off the court once he retired. He was a father of four daughters; #GirlDad took on a new meaning with him because he used his resources and influence to make sure girls had an equal chance to be great in sports or in whatever they chose as their passion. When we lost Kobe, we lost someone who believed in girls having the same as the boys, in the world we live in now, man we could use that a lot more. That’s for us all to carry on now; he started it, we can keep it going.”

This year I decided to frame the photo around the shoes, and I’m sure that’s both an interesting and odd take depending on what you know. So I’ll do my best to explain it as well as I can. Since we cover both brands in this shot, I want to briefly touch on the Adidas years, because they are the start of it all, of course. I only have the Adidas KOBE in this shot because it’s the only one I could find, but everyone who knows basketball and Kobe will remember the shoe. Kobe signed a six-year deal with Adidas in 1996 before he entered the NBA and stayed with them through 2002. He wore numerous Adidas shoes in that time frame, including the Adidas EQT Elevation in 1997, the KB8 in 1998, the KOBE in 2000 (pictured above), and KOBE TWO in 2001. KOBE TWO did so poorly sales-wise that Kobe hated the shoe so much he switched back to The KOBE for the finals that year. After that, he paid $8 million dollars to get out of the Adidas deal, with the caveat being he couldn’t sign with another brand for a year.

Kobe signed with Nike in 2003, a four-year, $40 million deal, that was extended numerous times, with what was thought to be the final extension being the post-retirement one. It added five years to the deal, taking it through 2021. But before we dive into the ‘why it ended portion, let’s highlight the shoes above a little bit first. In 2006, the Nike Zoom Kobe I debuted, and it was a fantastic shoe. I do, in fact, still own two pairs of them today. The original red-and-black All-Star version and the MPLS version, which is light blue, grey, and white and harkens back to the original Minneapolis Lakers of the 1940s and 50s.

“The Nike Zoom Kobe 1 emerges in an ‘All-Star’ colorway from 2006. The white, red, and black color scheme emerges throughout the upper, which is constructed with premium leather, while the blocking also appears on the sole. The sock-like collar wraps the ankle, while the inside of the tongue reads ‘All Star 2006.’ Zoom Air provides lightweight cushioning, and Kobe’s sheath logo can be found on the tongue and back heel.”

In the shot above, you can also see the Zoom Kobe I 81 Points Player Exclusive, which was later released to the public given the historic performance it was tied to. I won’t explain every single one because we’ll be here all day, but I’m going to name them at least. We have the Zoom Kobe IV ‘Draft Day,’ which calls back the colors of the Charlotte Hornets, the team that drafted Kobe before trading him to the Lakers on draft night. There’s the Zoom Kobe IV ‘Lower Merion,’ a special release for Kobe’s high school team that features their maroon and white colors. Then you have the Zoom Kobe VI ‘Grinch,’ which launched on Christmas Day 2010 and features the classic Grinch colors, but in reality, the colorway is inspired by the Green Mamba snake, a good cross-branding between Dr. Seuss and Nike on that idea.

Next up we’ve got the Zoom Kobe VI ‘Prelude,’ which was part of an eight-shoe capsule that featured Kobe‘s signature shoe history up to the launch of the Kobe 9. It’s inspired by the “eclectic Venice neighborhood of Bryant’s longtime home in Los Angeles.” We move directly into the Kobe 9, and in this particular shot there are two, one of which I will get to shortly, but this one is the ‘What The Kobe’ limited edition. It incorporates the previous Kobe 9 colorways into its multicolor upper. Then we have three shoes from the ‘Fade To Black’ Collection from 2016 in celebration of Kobe‘s final season in the NBA.

The lineup features the entire line of Kobe signature shoes, including the Huarache 2K4 and Hyperdunk ’08. The shoes transition from light to dark. The Zoom Kobe II featured above is early in the line, so it is, of course, a light bone colorway. The last one I have for the ‘Fade To Black‘ Collection is the Kobe 9 Elite, which is all black as it was one of the final pieces of the collection. The final shoe I want to highlight is the Undefeated x Nike Zoom Kobe 5 Protro ‘Hall of Fame,’ as it was released (sadly on the SNKRS app) to celebrate Kobe‘s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

That deal ultimately expired on April 13, 2021, and was not renewed because Vanessa Bryant (Kobe’s widow) and Nike could not come to an agreement. I can say personally that I believe her rationale for it because trying to get a pair of any Kobe shoes in recent years has been nearly impossible for the average person. Thanks to Nike making them all limited availability and the bots on the SNKRS app taking over before humans get much of a chance.

“Kobe’s Nike contract expired on 4/13/21,” Vanessa Bryant wrote on her Instagram story. “Kobe and Nike have made some of the most beautiful basketball shoes of all time, worn and adored by fans and athletes in all sports across the globe. It seems fitting that more NBA players wear my husband’s product than any other signature shoe.”

It has been reported for months that Bryant and the estate grew frustrated with Nike because of the limited availability of Kobe’s sneakers during his retirement and following his death in a January 2020 helicopter crash. There was also frustration in the limited availability of Kobe’s products for children, according to the ESPN report from Nick DePaula.

“My hope will always be to allow Kobe’s fans to get and wear his products,” Vanessa wrote. “I will continue to fight for that. Kobe’s products sell out in seconds. That says everything.”

Nike had presented an extension offer, but it was not in line with what Bryant and the estate were looking for, according to the report. Their expectations were an ongoing lifetime structure, similar to the deals LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Cristiano Ronaldo have with Nike.

“I was hoping to forge a lifelong partnership with Nike that reflects my husband’s legacy,” Vanessa wrote. “We will always do everything we can to honor Kobe and Gigi’s legacies. That will never change.”

Additionally, this change is significant because of the access to Kobe gear many of his die-hard fans may finally receive. Bryant’s new sneakers and gear following his death were only available on Nike’s SNKRS app, which is infamously known to fail customers consistently and sold out within seconds for fans on every drop. It never provided a fair opportunity for fans to purchase items. It’s pretty clear that whichever route Vanessa Bryant and the estate decide to go in the future, the top priority is availability of merchandise for all fans.

Explaining the end of Nike’s deal with Kobe Bryant’s estate – Aron Yohannes, The Oregonian (April 20, 2021)

On August 9th, 2023, Nike officially announced the return of the Kobe brand with its first release, the Kobe 8 ‘Halo’ dropping on August 23. This will mark the first new Kobe release since 2021 and brings the iconic brand back into the Nike Family. Hopefully, I can get my hands on some, hehe.

This will mark the first release under the Kobe name since the late Los Angeles Lakers legend’s contract with Nike expired in April 2021. Nike and Bryant’s estate reached a new licensing agreement in March 2022, which will allow the apparel giant to re-release the eight models made during Bryant’s career, along with six releases after his 2016 retirement.

Nike also agreed to release apparel in honor of Gigi Bryant, the daughter of Kobe and Vanessa who was among the nine people who died in the January 2020 helicopter crash.

Kobe Bryant’s signature shoe has been the most popular in the NBA for years, with the release being credited for popularizing the lowtop. Around 70 percent of NBA players wear Nike shoes during games, with about 45 percent of players wearing Kobes for at least one game from April 2021 until April 2022.

Nike Announces Kobe Bryant Brand’s Return; Kobe 8 ‘Halo’ Scheduled to Drop on Aug. 23 – Tyler Conway, Bleacher Report (August 9,2023)

Happy Mamba Day, my friends. 8/24 Forever. 💜💛