Mamba Forever: Ranking Kobe Bryant’s 10 Best Nike Sneakers - Page 2

August 24 will always mean something different in Los Angeles. The date — 8/24 — combines the two jersey numbers Kobe Bryant made famous during his legendary Lakers career, and the city officially designated August 24 as Kobe Bryant Day back in 2016. It also arrives one day after Bryant’s August 23 birthday, making the back-to-back dates an annual celebration of everything the Black Mamba left behind.

And there is plenty to celebrate. Across 20 seasons, all spent wearing purple and gold, Bryant built one of basketball’s greatest résumés: five NBA championships, two Finals MVPs, one league MVP, 18 All-Star selections and 33,643 career points. But the numbers only tell part of the story. His footwork, competitiveness, obsessive preparation and “Mamba Mentality” helped shape an entire generation of hoopers who grew up trying to fade over defenders, yell “Kobe!” while shooting something into a trash can and approach their craft with the same relentless mindset.

Bryant’s death on January 26, 2020, alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, made Kobe Day considerably more emotional. Yet more than six years later, his presence is still everywhere in basketball. Current NBA and WNBA players regularly pay tribute to him, his jerseys remain staples around Los Angeles, and perhaps nothing illustrates his continued influence better than what players are wearing on their feet.

Of course, Kobe’s sneaker story didn’t begin with Nike. Bryant entered the NBA with Adidas, signing with the company before the 1996 NBA Draft and eventually receiving signature shoes including the KB8 — later renamed the Crazy 8 — and the futuristic Kobe 1 and Kobe 2. After leaving Adidas, Bryant had one of the most memorable sneaker free-agency stretches ever, wearing everything from Jordans to Reeboks before signing with Nike in 2003. His first true Nike signature model, the Zoom Kobe 1, arrived during the 2005-06 season.

What came next changed basketball footwear. Kobe and Nike eventually helped normalize the idea that elite players could hoop in lightweight low-top sneakers, particularly with the arrival of the Kobe 4, and the line became known for combining performance technology with some of Nike Basketball’s wildest storytelling. Years later, Kobes remain some of the most frequently spotted sneakers across professional basketball, while Nike’s Protro program has introduced many of the classics to another generation.

So, with the disclaimer that ranking Kobe sneakers can start an argument almost as quickly as ranking Kobe among the NBA’s all-time greats, we tried anyway. Design, cultural impact, the story behind the colorway and how closely the sneaker is connected to Kobe himself all matter here.

10. Nike Zoom Kobe 4 “Del Sol”

The Kobe 4 is one of the most important basketball shoes ever made, and the black, white and Del Sol yellow colorway gave the groundbreaking low-top silhouette a clean Lakers-adjacent look without drowning it in purple and gold. More importantly, the Kobe 4 helped prove a low-cut shoe could perform at basketball’s highest level.

9. Nike Kobe 11 “Mamba Day”

Few Kobe sneakers have a story more directly tied to his farewell. The original “Mamba Day” Kobe 11 celebrated Bryant’s final NBA season, while its white upper was covered in graphics representing memorable moments and numbers from his career. The colorway has only become more meaningful with time.

8. Nike Kobe 7 “Cheetah”

Following the nearly impossible task of topping the “Grinch,” Kobe came back the next Christmas in another animal-inspired classic. The purple-and-Volt Kobe 7 “Cheetah” was inspired by one of nature’s fastest predators, and Bryant debuted the pair against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls on Christmas Day 2011 — the NBA’s opening day following the lockout.

7. Nike Kobe 8 “Venice Beach”

You almost can’t make a Kobe list without something that screams Los Angeles. The “Venice Beach” Kobe 8 mixed blue, yellow, orange and green into one of the loudest looks in the line, drawing inspiration from the colorful energy surrounding Venice’s beach and basketball culture.

6. Nike Zoom Kobe 4 “Carpe Diem”

“Carpe Diem” — seize the day — fits Kobe about as perfectly as a sneaker nickname can. The black Kobe 4 is accented by purple and gold details, while its importance is amplified by the fact that the model became part of Kobe’s championship-era rotation as he marched toward his fourth ring in 2009.

5. Nike Kobe 9 Elite “Masterpiece”

Kobe’s torn Achilles heavily influenced the Kobe 9, and Nike responded with something that looked completely different from the low-tops that had come to define his line. The towering Flyknit “Masterpiece” blended purple, green, red, blue and yellow into a sneaker that felt closer to wearable artwork than another basketball shoe.

4. Nike Kobe 8 “What The Kobe”

Nike’s “What The” concept was practically built for a sneaker like the Kobe 8. The two shoes purposely don’t match, combining and insane collection of colors, graphics and details from previous Kobe 8 releases into one chaotic pair that somehow works.

3. Nike Zoom Kobe 5 “Chaos”

Inspired by the Joker, the “Chaos” Kobe 5 used white, purple, neon green and red to create one of the most instantly recognizable Christmas sneakers of Kobe’s career. Bryant debuted the look on Christmas Day in 2009, and its controlled craziness became a perfect showcase for just how creative the Kobe line could get.

2. Nike Zoom Kobe 5 “Bruce Lee”

Kobe’s admiration for Bruce Lee went far beyond a cool color combination. The yellow-and-black upper references Lee’s famous jumpsuit, while the red slash marks nod to his battle wound in Enter the Dragon — combining Kobe’s love for Lee’s philosophy with one of the cleanest Kobe 5s Nike ever produced.

1. Nike Zoom Kobe 6 “Grinch”

There really wasn’t another choice. Kobe debuted the electric-green Kobe 6 on Christmas Day 2010, and the scales, red laces and impossible-to-miss color immediately created an icon; the “Grinch” has since become arguably the most recognizable sneaker attached to Bryant’s name. Its influence has only grown since Kobe’s playing days. Nike brought the shoe back in Protro form in 2020, players across multiple sports continue wearing versions of it, and the colorway has become bigger than the Kobe 6 itself — the kind of sneaker that people who aren’t even sneakerheads can identify from across the room.