Happy birthday to the Los Angeles Laker GOAT, Kobe Bryant. In honor of him turning 41 today, we take a look back at 10 of our favorite models and colorways of his iconic signature sneakers.
Honorable Mention: UNDEFEATED x Nike Kobe 4 Protro Pack
UNDEFEATED is teaming up with Kobe again to celebrate his birthday with 4 new colorways of the Nike Kobe 4 Protro. The 4 colorways signifies 4 players Kobe has mentored with his "mamba mentality." Those players being DeMar DeRozen (teal), Giannis Antetokoumpo (green), Kyle Kuzma (purple), and Devin Booker (orange).
10. Nike Kobe 4 "Gold Medal"
Nike dropped the 4th color way of the Kobe 4 as an ode to Kobe and the US Olympic Men's Basketball Team gold medal run in 2008.
9. Nike Kobe 8 "What The Kobe"
In 2013, Nike released the "What the Kobe" 8 featuring 30 different colorways from previous Kobe 8s.
8. Nike Kobe 8 "Mambacurial"
Inspired by Kobe's love for soccer, Nike created this Kobe 8 to look like a soccer boot, the Nike Mercurial Vapor 9 to be exact.
7. Nike Kobe 7 "All Star - Galaxy "
For the 2012 NBA All Star Game in Orlando, Nike went with a galaxy theme for their "All Star" pack featuring the KD4, Lebron 9, Foamposite 1, and of course the Kobe 7.
6. Kobe 6 "All Star"
For the 2011 All Star game, the West All Stars wore red and black jerseys, so Nike followed up the theme with a matching pair of shoes featuring the classic snakeskin texture upper.
5. Kobe 5 "Bruce Lee"
This Kobe 5 features one of Kobe's all time favorite actors, Bruce Lee, filmography. The yellow is for the jumpsuit Lee wore in the film "Game of Death" and the red scratch marks are from the final fight scene in "Enter The Dragon."
4. Kobe 6 "Grinch"
The Kobe 6 "Grinch" Dropped Christmas Day in 2010 for Kobe's match against the big 3 Miami Heat. Though it is commonly convinced that this color way was inspired by "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," it was actually inspired by the deadly Green Mamba.
3. Kobe 1 Every UNDEFEATED Colab
I could've made these all separate but then I wouldn't have been able to highlight the other shoes before it. UNDEFEATED is a premium sneaker boutique based in LA and the owners James Bond and Eddie Cruz are huge Kobe fans. They took the Kobe 1 and made it their own with their signature olive green colorway, multiple Camo colorways, and the simple white colorway.
2. The Kobe Prelude Pack
Nike created a colorway for the first 8 Kobe models are with a different story behind them. The Kobe 1 is for Kobe's legendary 81 point game. The Kobe 2 is for Kobe's four 50+ point scoring games. The Kobe 3 is inspired by the lost championship to the Boston Celtics that serves inspiration to him. The Kobe 4 is for Kobe's you fourth championship season. The Kobe 5 is for Kobe's fifth title against rival Boston Celtics. The Kobe 6 is for Kobe's All-Star Game MVP in his home court in LA. The Kobe 7 is for Kobe's Gold Medal in London. Lastly, the Kobe 8 is for Kobe's injury shortened season.
1. Kobe 11 Elite Low "Fade to Black"
This was the shoe Kobe wore in his Final NBA game in 2016 against the Utah Jazz. Kobe gave us one more iconic moment to remember when he scored his 60 points, had 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. Truly a legendary end to a legendary career.
Happy Birthday Kobe.
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