Kevin Durant's Nike KD VI's have dropped, and the Lebron XI's aren't too far behind. This leaves Kobe Bryant's signature sneaker line the only one that's yet to get an update for the coming NBA season.
Supposed sample designs, and teasers that imply the use of Nike's Flyknit technology have been making the online rounds. Hopefully, more details come out before Kobe gets back on the court (the season opener, without a doubt. Haha). All personal bias aside, I'm curious to see how the final product will turn out. Will it continue down the design road the Nike Kobe IV start and stick to a low-cut profile? Or will his injury warrant a return to a higher cut shoe?
Only time will tell. In the meantime, since I'm talking about Kobe anyway, I'm gonna go on little throwback trip to revisit some of my favorite sneakers of his.
Nike Kobe VII System - "Poison Dart Frog" (image from http://bit.ly/1eIUNB4)
Although one of the later shoes in Kobe's Nike line, I've always found them pretty awesome in concept. Low-cut, light, and taking design cues from the poison/venom themes we've been seeing in his sneakers as of late. I wish I had gotten back into playing basketball earlier, so I could have picked up a pair to ball in.
Nike Kobe V - "Game of Death" (image from http://bit.ly/16P43Tq)
Nike took some serious inspiration from Bruce Lee in his classic movie "Game of Death" for this release. I love Bruce Lee movies, so I went nuts when I heard Nike was dropping these. The scratch mark details, to taking the colorway from the tracksuit Lee wore in the movie. I can only hope and pray Nike decides to re-release these in the not-so-distant future.
Nike Kobe VIII System - "Mambacurial" (image from http://bit.ly/1cMOOyy)
These aren't old, but it took a while for this to happen. Kobe took inspiration from football shoes which brought about the Kobe IV, a design that changed the course of Kobe's signature line. Four more shoe designs in, the Kobe VIII came out with this sick colorway that took so many cues from the Nike Mercurial line, the same shoes worn by footballers like Real Madrid winger (and diver extraordinaire) Cristiano Ronaldo. But don't let the Ronaldo association bring these down. They even inspired a custom KD VI which is equally sick! This is another release I can only hope Nike re-releases in the future.
Nike Huarache 2K4 (image from http://bit.ly/19sjmW5)
While these aren't necessarily a Kobe Bryant signature sneaker, I remember Kobe rocking these after his time with Adidas. I took these as a sign that The Black Mamba would soon be going the way of the Swoosh. And true enough, 8 signature shoes later, and a couple of championship rings to add to his collection, I'd say the move has paid off. And speaking of Adidas...
Adidas Kobe II (Image from http://bit.ly/)
Feel free to laugh, and drop whatever comparisons to The Titanic, or an iron. But I included these on the list because I had a pair when I was younger, and I balled in them until they gave out. I'd practice the turnaround-fadeaway and even though I wouldn't come close to hitting the rim, I'd still feel pretty good cause I was in a pair of Kobes. I think it's fortunate that many of the younger crop of sneakerheads today didn't get to see Kobe in these, and I'm glad Kobe's off Adidas so no one's gets any smart ideas to call for a re-release.
Air Jordan III - "True Blue" (image from http://bit.ly/14KidVg)
I was leafing through an old issue of Slam Magazine one day when I came across Kobe Bryant in this pair of Air Jordan III's. With so much hype surrounding Air Jordans nowadays, I'm not too sure if I'd want to join in on the race. But Kobe Bryant was in a pair of True Blue 3's throwing down a dunk on Yao Ming in what was then his rookie season, so I might make an exception if these roll out again.
And while we're on the subject of Kobe and Jordan, to sign off on this post, this painstakingly OC edit is worth a watch.
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