
The key difference between the shoe lines for Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant is that Kobe was not always a member of team Nike.

It should come as no surprise that Kobe Bryant shoes are in the same discussion as LeBron James shoes and behind only Michael Jordan shoes as far as the top options in basketball history. The Kobe Bryant signature sneaker line is a force to be reckoned with, as well. Although injuries and age finally took their toll, he put forth elite play in multiple decades and remains one of the biggest figures in modern basketball. There’d already been too much history built between the two and losing that would’ve been awful.īut there’s no way it happens this quickly without high demand from players around the NBA and fans around the world who still want their Kobe’s.Even as a teenager, it was clear that Kobe Bryant was special. It made sense for both sides to come back to the table at some point. I’m not saying that this wasn’t going to get done eventually. There are so many player-exclusive models out there. A number of star NBA players including DeMar DeRozan, Devin Booker, and so many more still wear Bryant’s shoes today despite Nike not being in business with the family. During the NBA’s bubble return in 2020, 67% of the athletes playing were wearing Kobe sneakers, per Andscape’s Aaron Dodson. But you know who wasn’t? Some of the biggest athletes on their roster.īryant’s line has been the biggest sneaker in the basketball world for a while now. Nike may have been done with the Kobe line. She also laid out another major reason in her Instagram post: The demand for Bryant’s shoes never faded. “I am so proud that my husband’s shoes are still the most worn by players on NBA courts and that the demand for his shoes remain so desired by his fans around the world.” That’s the key. They did their due diligence, held firm in their values through negotiations, and continued to build up Bryant’s brand in so many spaces. Obviously, a majority of the credit goes to Vanessa Bryant and the Bryant Estate. The question is how did we get here? It was only a year ago that negotiations broke off and it seemed very possible these two sides would never work together again.

This means more Kobe shoes and more Kobe shoes means more of an opportunity to get these sneakers into the hands of his actual fans. All proceeds from the shoe will benefit the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.” /pgT4Ab4s5gįor sneakerheads, Kobe fans and basketball lovers everywhere, this was a triumph. “The Kobe 6 Protro ‘Mambacita Sweet 16’ will honor Gigi Bryant. The 1st shoe to release in the new Kobe & Nike partnership will honor his daughter Gianna, who would have turned 16 on May 1, 2022 We’re also finally getting these shoes honoring Gigi’s birthday. Not only were Kobe’s shoes coming back, Nike would also be honoring Gianna Bryant with this and the proceeds from honoring her would go to the Mamba & Mambacita foundation.

With this new partnership, fans will soon be able to have access to Kobe and Gigi Nike product for years to come with Nike donating 100% of the net proceeds yearly for Gianna’s shoes to our Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.”

“We’re excited to announce our partnership with Nike is going to continue! I am so proud that my husband’s shoes are still the most worn by players on NBA courts and that the demand for his shoes remain so desired by his fans around the world.
#KOBE PURPLE SHOES FULL#
Vanessa Bryant's full announcement: /fxcYoxRMcx Vanessa Bryant announced that the estate and Nike finally came to an agreement after breaking off negotiations last April. Vanessa Bryant and the Kobe Bryant estate moved on and started their own brand. And, to make matters worse, we found out Bryant’s contract with Nike was up, and once it ended they’d stop manufacturing his shoes altogether. Nike released more, but they were extremely limited. In the aftermath of Bryant’s untimely and tragic death, all his sneakers sold out at retailers everywhere. What we had was what we were going to get. It was almost a calendar year ago that we saw what we thought was the end of Kobe Bryant’s signature sneaker line with Nike.
