Exploring the Failed 'Adidas Kobe' Sneaker Line
Before the Nike checks rolled in…
If there were one thing late basketball titan Kobe Bryant didn't need, it would be an introduction. Armed with his ironclad willpower, the steadfast shooting guard was just as famous both on and off the court, becoming an x5 NBA champion, renowned philanthropist and sneaker savant.
Before classics like the Grinch Kobe 6 Protro's or "Fade to Black" 4's, 17-year-old Kobe Bryant was signed to Adidas before the 1996–97 season for £48 million and received his first shoe—the Elevation EQTs. Hitting stores in '97, the sharp, chunky silhouette proved to be a moderate success, garnering the spotlight in the '97 Dunk Contest where Kobe won sporting his Laker colourway.
The success prompted Three Stripes to commission Kobe's first shoe with the Adidas KB8s, retitled / currently known as the "Crazy 8s". The Crazy 8s were followed up by a second and third revision—with the latter influencing the Yeezy 500’s design—before launching Bryant's own signature line.
At the turn of the millennium, Three Stripes commissioned the Adidas Kobe. Taking design cues from the Audi TT Roadster, Kobe's fifth season saw him average 28 points in the Kobe 1's. Also, the shoes were paired with an extensive, retro-futuristic marketing campaign that spawned TV ads, posters and action figures.
Yeah, you heard that last part right. Adidas were sure they had the next Michael Jordan on their hands, they commissioned a full fleet of tie-in merch for the deal—including the "Kobe Toy", a doll kitted out with an interchangeable black suit and aptly-branded on-court gear. The figure was packaged in a chromed-out minimalist packaging to sell audiences on the character of Kobe.
Anyways, back to the shoes. Despite its traction, the Kobe 1’s polarised many and was critiqued for its clunky, somewhat bland design. Still, today the sneaker stands as a precious artefact from a foregone era of basketball.
Of course, the nail in the coffin for the Adidas Kobe line was the Kobe 2's. The sneaker doubled down on its predecessor's clunky nature and was almost universally hated by fans. Kobe himself said the shoe was more uncomfortable than the first and opted to wear the all-black Kobe 1's in the 2001 NBA finals.
Kobe eventually bought himself out of his Adidas deal, under the clause that he would remain a free agent for a year. Bryant sported a host of sneaker grails like the player exclusive Reebok Question's and Air Jordan III's throughout the 2002-03 season before signing with Nike and etching his name into sneaker history. Not bad, right?
