THE OFFICIAL NIKE KOBE FOOTWEAR THREAD: RIP LEGEND 1978-2020. MAMBA FOREVER | 3 Releases 4/13

lets go!
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The time to negotiate a lifetime deal is while you're an active player...once you retire, that's going to cost a lot of leverage in contract negotiations.

Not taking sides, but why would Nike offer him a huge deal when there's not a ton of value in any newer Kobe models, and the Protro line itself doesn't seem like it would justify it either IMO. It's different if you're Lebron James still in your prime and one of, if not the face of the league and is a sneaker free agent...Nike couldn't let just him walk, gotta cut the check.

Hopefully this is just a public negotiation thing, although I'm sure both the Bryant family and Nike will be just fine financially if there isn't a single Nike Kobe item ever sold again it would be great for all of his fans if they could figure something out. All I know is no way I'd ever buy some variant Nike Kobe knockoff just because these two sides couldn't iron out their differences
 
if vanessa starts her own shoe company and she gets nba stars to endorse the brand it will be successful. jordan brand shoes are trash but still sell off the jordan name alone

jordan fans have conditioned their kids to be jordan fans

people who grew up with kobe as their idol will do the same

mamba inc or kobe inc brand would be 🔥

kobe would be for mens and boys

gigi would be for women and girls

that would be the ultimate achievement and honor for the kobe legacy. not playing tickle my *** hole and give me 400 bucks for these kobes cuz nike wants to be the conductor on the hype train
 
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... Not that it matters much now, but it hindsight, we should've picked up the signs. Shortly after his passing, Mamba Academy was renamed and at the Estate's request Nike stopped producing their jerseys and outfits. Then in December 2020 the tweet from Shervin Pishevar saying Kobe was shopping around to replace Nike- people were calling Shervin fraud at the time.

Maybe players can still wear Kobe PE's? I don't see Vanessa saying no to that, but Nike would want their athletes to be business professional and adhere to these unforeseen changes(?)

Time will tell. If they can reach any agreement and stay in this contractual union, then all sides win. If they break up and each goes and makes their own 'unofficial' Kobe shoe, then it was always about milking the name.

No one's going to want (blank brand) Kobe's that he's never worn or Zoom 2016 Fade to Black. C'mon now, it'd be TARNISHING Kobe's name.
 
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Best/honorable move to make is a lifetime deal with the Estate and keep it going. Nike gave KD more than 300 million to stay, yet his kicks don’t move needles like that post KD IV, LeBron products are hit or miss, yet he got a lifetime deal. This should be a slam dunk. Give that man and his family a lifetime deal and keep the it going.
 
The lifetime deals are more to prevent another company from using them and essentially piggy backing off what they did. People will buy things because it’s a “Kobe” no matter what brand it is.

This is a rare case where the athlete doesn’t need Nike more than Nike needs that athlete. Of course this also is a very different case due to the accident. I’d support brand Kobe for sure more than I would Nike
 
The last part. If he were alive his own venture would’ve been a succes because we know he would be hands on with every product.

though Jordan brand is sort of Nike myself rocking the Jumpman moreso then the swoosh. Having worked for them myself and knowing how they operate internally, it turned me off in regards to their thought process, the products etc
 
blastercombo said:
That sometimes for me has grown a bunch. Nike is trash 89% of the time now. The running shoes are the only things holding me back from being done with them
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dgoins1 said:
Definitely way better running shoes than from Nike. But I feel you I’m that way with hoop shoes
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Nike Basketball is so uninspiring given what appears to be their unlimited level of resources.

Take the new KD for instance. Looks like a rehashed "signature." I know a mid KD7 when I see it.

I've seen more original prototype sneaker sketches from freelance artists.
 
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/sports/basketball/kobe-bryant-nike-deal.html?smid=url-share

Nike clearly believed that Bryant’s appeal extended into retirement, signing him to a new five-year agreement on the day of his final N.B.A. game: April 13, 2016. Bryant played his final season in the Kobe 11s, the 11th edition of his sneaker line. After his retirement, Nike released a new line of sneakers styled as Kobe A.D., or anno Domini, the Latin phrase that means “in the year of the Lord.”
Nike’s Jordan brand, and its continued release of Air Jordan sneakers, remains quite popular, but as everyday fashion shoes; N.B.A. players rarely wear Air Jordans during games these days. Bryant attempted to buck that trend in retirement, with Nike releasing Bryant “protro” shoes: retro Bryant shoes updated with modern professional performance features.

While they were popular with basketball players, Bryant’s sneakers were not always the most popular off the court, worn with jeans or sweats.
Before Bryant’s death, the market for his shoes was fairly niche, said Chad Jones, the co-founder of Another Lane, a marketplace for sneaker collectors. “Performance wise, a lot of performance athletes loved Kobe shoes, but fashion wise is really the predictor for how well it will sell to the masses,” Jones said.

Nike did not sign Bryant to what is effectively a lifetime contract, like it has done with Jordan and James, raising questions about how much continued value it saw in his name. The Kobe shoes N.B.A. players wore were often limited editions or unique colors that average consumers could not buy, partly explaining why their popularity on the court did not necessarily translate to popularity on the street.
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Doubt Nike would rerelease any of the Kobe line without his signature imprint, that would be a terrible look. And while the ideal of a independent brand sounds good but some of the most visible athletes in the NBA today with major shoe companies behind them aren't selling well, hard to see it really taking off.
 
Maybe Nike really doesn’t care that much. Their effort with the line was like a 6/10 so maybe there’s only so far they’re willing to go with it.

grittyman said:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/sports/basketball/kobe-bryant-nike-deal.html?smid=url-share



Doubt Nike would rerelease any of the Kobe line without his signature imprint, that would be a terrible look. And while the ideal of a independent brand sounds good but some of the most visible athletes in the NBA today with major shoe companies behind them aren't selling well, hard to see it really taking off.
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In retrospect, the way they sold everything after his death with like a half baked blurb about some proceeds going to the foundation was a terrible look... so I wouldn’t put this past them
 
sunggolam78 said:
... Not that it matters much now, but it hindsight, we should've picked up the signs. Shortly after his passing, Mamba Academy was renamed and at the Estate's request Nike stopped producing their jerseys and outfits. Then in December 2020 the tweet from Shervin Pishevar saying Kobe was shopping around to replace Nike- people were calling Shervin fraud at the time.

Maybe players can still wear Kobe PE's? I don't see Vanessa saying no to that, but Nike would want their athletes to be business professional and adhere to these unforeseen changes(?)

Time will tell. If they can reach any agreement and stay in this contractual union, then all sides win. If they break up and each goes and makes their own 'unofficial' Kobe shoe, then it was always about milking the name.

No one's going to want (blank brand) Kobe's that he's never worn or Zoom 2016 Fade to Black. C'mon now, it'd be TARNISHING Kobe's name.
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speak for yourself. i’d buy a kobe brand shoe especially if its a beast to play in
 
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dannyarcher said:
Thanks for the link. So does this imply Lebron was given a lifetime deal because Nike thinks people will wear his shoes casually for fashion? I don't see anyone doing that right now
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Outside of the models that are retro-ing i seen VERY few.

I think rn Bron/Nike is pushing the brand on kids so that way later they have them as adult customers
but idk why they didn’t/wouldn’t wanna do that with kobe either (according to a few articles, they didn’t wanna makes more kids sizing available)
 
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