Greatest Nike Kobe Sneakers of All Time
Some of the best sneaker news that we have heard in 2022 so far is that Kobe Bryant’s estate and Nike have come to terms on a deal that will continue the Nike Kobe sneaker legacy. For those of you who don’t know, Kobe and Nike’s contract expired in April of 2021, and since then, Nike has not released any Kobe sneakers. For huge fans of Kobe, like myself, and people who appreciate the Nike Kobe silhouettes, hearing that news disappointed many and left a sour taste for some towards Nike. Fortunately, that sour taste has turned sweet because Vanessa Bryant and Nike have inked a deal to release more Nike Kobe footwear and product. In an Instagram post, Vanessa issued a jubilant statement about reaching an agreement with Nike stating that “fans will soon be able to have access to Kobe and Gigi Nike product for years to come” and that Nike will be “donating 100% of the net proceeds yearly for Gianna’s shoes to our Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation (M&MSF)”. Great news for Vanessa, the Mamba organizations, and people who love Kobe and Gigi. Hopefully, this means Nike agreed to Vanessa’s wishes which involve releasing larger quantities of Kobe’s sneakers as well.
What’s so exceptional about Nike Kobe basketball shoes and what has everyone excited is not only their performance on the hardwood but the feeling of just having Kobe's on your feet. At the pinnacle of Nike basketball in the early 2010s, Kobe’s basketball shoes were being bought by many and used as lifestyle sneakers to casually wear. However, for those who laced them up and stepped onto the court, then you know that radiating feeling in your body when you wear them in between the white lines. That feeling of anticipation when you take them out of your bag, take your slides off, put the sneakers on, lace them up, and know you’re about to channel whatever “mamba mentality” you have in you. You tend to walk onto the court differently with a little more swag or bounce when you have a pair of Kobe’s on your feet. You start to see yourself making tough shots, flying to hole, and terrorizing the opponent just as the Black Mamba would. And like his game, his sneakers are perfect works of art when it comes to performance footwear. In my opinion, there is no more aesthetically pleasing and well performing basketball shoe than most of Nike’s Kobe silhouettes. That is why guys in the NBA like Devin Booker and DeMar DeRozan religiously play in Kobe’s. If you want to get straight buckets like those elite scorers and look good doing it, then you wear Kobe’s, plain and simple.
Kobe’s great history of iconic signature Nike basketball shoes that he played in spans eleven silhouettes. During that span, great colorways and collaborations have stamped major moments within the Kobe sneaker timeline. I’m going to give you my opinion of the best Nike Kobe basketball sneakers for each of the eleven silhouettes. These were chosen based on either the backstory of the colorway or how good the colorway looks with respect to the other colorways on that particular silhouette. I decided to not list any player exclusives or extremely rare Kobe’s that were not available to the public.
Nike Kobe 1 "MPLS"
To match the light blue MPLS uniforms that the Lakers wear on a yearly basis, Nike donned the Kobe 1 in similar colors. Before the Lakers moved to Los Angeles, they resided in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, where they originally wore light blue, yellow, and white. To honor that history, the Lakers continue to wear that clean, light blue and yellow throwback uniform which is a fan favorite when it comes to throwback jerseys. Similarly, Nike added light blue accents to this clean Kobe 1 which has become a classic in the Nike Kobe archives. This was my first pair of Kobe’s that I was fortunate enough to play in as a kid, so they hold a little more value to me than the other Kobe 1s and they look great.
Nike Kobe 2 "Prelude"
Kobe’s second and third Nike silhouettes are the two that I find most basketball players avoiding. Unless we’re talking about NBA player PJ Tucker, I have yet to see anyone in the modern NBA lace up these two silhouettes. Maybe that’s because most of the colorways are not great or because the shape of these two sneakers do not aesthetically compare to the other nine silhouettes or perform as well. Nonetheless, all of Kobe’s sneakers, one through eight, within the Prelude Pack have this somewhat abstract design that looks great. The Prelude Pack was the first time Kobe’s Nike sneakers were being protroed to celebrate his sneaker lineage and to lead up to the release of the Kobe 9 Elite “Masterpiece”. So by default, I consider the Kobe 2 Prelude and the Kobe 3 Prelude the best colorways of those silhouettes. You can't go wrong with these timeless looking designs.
Nike Kobe 3 "Prelude"
Read everything said for the Kobe 2 above.
Nike Kobe 4 Undefeated Pack
The native Los Angeles boutique called Undefeated has built up a long history of collaborating with Nike. Undefeated has left their mark particularly on the Nike basketball catalog by designing colorways for models within the signature line of the local hero, Kobe Bryant. They have designed Kobe 1s, 4s, and 5s that have been limited in supply and highly coveted. Some of these sneakers have been more limited than others, and the four sneakers they designed for this Kobe 4 Undefeated Pack were limited but still somewhat accessible after being released on two separate occasions. Regardless, these four colorways are some of the best on the Kobe 4. These colorways were first released in 2019 and were inspired by DeMar DeRozan, Devin Booker, Kyle Kuzma, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, respectively, players who Kobe mentored and who took a liking to his sneakers. The colors were chosen based on the players' current teams back in 2019. If you're wondering why there are four different colorways for the Kobe 4, it's because you can't go wrong with any of the above colorways so I couldn’t make up my mind and just pick one.
Nike Kobe 5 "Bruce Lee"
The Kobe 5 “Bruce Lee” is a classic sneaker that released in 2010 and re-released in 2020 in a yellow and a new alternate white colorway. The original shoe, yellow and black like the protro, referenced Bruce Lee’s outfit in the Game of Death and the four red scratches refer to his last fight scene in Enter the Dragon. This colorway originated from Kobe’s admiration of Bruce Lee and from his practicing of Lee’s martial arts system called Jeet Kune Do. Today, I think most people would rank this sneaker somewhere in the top 5 of the greatest Nike Kobe footwear ever. It certainly had an impact on Kyrie Irving who took inspiration from this shoe and his hero Kobe Bryant to imitate a similar Bruce Lee colorway on his own signature sneaker. That is why I believe that this Kobe 5 will forever be the most memorable among Kobe’s fifth signature sneaker colorways.
Nike Kobe 6 "Grinch"
Probably the most recognizable and most beloved Kobe shoe is the Kobe 6 “Grinch”, inspired by the Dr. Seuss Christmas character, which Kobe wore for the 2010 NBA Christmas game against LeBron James, D-Wade, and the Miami Heat. That vibrant green snakeskin upper and orange laces (a second pair of laces not seen in the above image that people preferred) captured everyone’s attention back then when Kobe wore the shoe on the court and when it was worn by people who were lucky enough to acquire them. Back then, holiday Nike basketball shoes were something to look forward to, and this one may be the greatest of all time. I don't think anymore needs to be said; it's just the best.
Nike Kobe 7 "Galaxy"
Right there with the Kobe 6 “Grinch” is the Kobe 7 “Galaxy”. In the pantheon of great, iconic Kobe sneakers, this one only falls second to the “Grinch” in my opinion. Worn by Kobe and released for the 2012 NBA All-Star game, this intergalactic themed basketball shoe was released alongside the Lebron 9 “Big Bang”, the KD 4 “Galaxy”, and the “Galaxy” Foamposite. To this day, that collection was indisputably the greatest assortment of Nike basketball shoes ever released. Just like the other sneakers in that group, the Kobe 7 “Galaxy” has withstood the test of time and is highly coveted today just as it was in 2012. Hopefully, Nike brings this Kobe back under the new contract.
Nike Kobe 8 "Venice Beach"
There are many great colorways of the Kobe 8, but none like the Kobe 8 “Venice Beach”. Inspired by the outdoor basketball courts along the famous beach, this colorway is one of the most colorful, eye-catching designs on a Kobe shoe. This was a great basketball sneaker to run pickup games in during the summer of 2013. The array of running colors throughout the shoe gives you a summer vibe and makes me want to travel to Venice Beach just to hoop. I can see these coming back under the new Nike Kobe contract because it's one of the most memorable Kobe 8s.
Nike Kobe 9 Elite "Gumbo"
In 2014, the NBA All-Star game came to New Orleans, and the city was set on fire with sneaker releases and events. Everything from Sneaker Politics releases, to Footlocker releases, to pop up shops was keeping sneaker heads busy running around downtown. One vivid memory I have is walking into the House of Hoops Footlocker on Canal Street and seeing the three Nike basketball all star game edition sneakers of Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant. The theme that Nike chose to go with that year was gumbo, a staple New Orleans dish. As an ode to that dish, each of the sneakers were dressed in a dark colorful design which was meant to reference the mixture of ingredients in a bowl of gumbo and the mixture of culture in New Orleans . So if you think I’m biased for choosing this colorway of the Kobe 9, it’s because I am.
Nike Kobe 10 "Peach Jam"
Nike has a long history of sponsoring the AAU showcase tournament called the Peach Jam. Every year, AAU teams on the Nike EYBL circuit come together for one of the biggest, if not the biggest, showcase tournaments for high school basketball players in the country. College coaches from all around the country come to see the best high players go at it in this summer tournament. Because these teams that attend are sponsored by Nike, every team gets access to a Nike EYBL “Peach Jam” sneaker which is usually a design on a sneaker of a signature Nike basketball player. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and pretty much every signature Nike basketball player at some point had a “Peach Jam” designed sneaker. Of the Kobe 10s, this “Peach Jam” colorway looks the best in my opinion, and that's why I chose it.
Nike Kobe 11 "Mambacurial"
Kobe’s love for soccer influenced the design of the Kobe 8 “Mambacurial” which would later reincarnate on the Kobe 11. The pink and lime green colors reference the colors seen on the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX soccer boot. The difference between the Kobe 8 and the 11 is the absence of a big lime green swoosh wrapping around the toe box of the Kobe 8, similar to the swoosh that was placed on that soccer boot. In this iteration of the colorway, the Kobe 11 chooses to forgo that swoosh on the toe box and just keep the colors, which I believe works better as a design for a basketball shoe. Ultimately, the Kobe 11 “Mambacurial” is a bright vibrant sneaker that I would lace up to hit some jumpshots on the court.
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