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

This thread started with the Kobe AD line. People made new threads as new "AD" models came out, but people generally gravitated back to this thread.

After the NXT 360 and FF, and Kobe's death, it more or less became a thread to talk anything Kobe footwear/apparel related. Protro threads open up as soon as models are confirmed.


From a business perspective, it sounds more like Kobe was making a power move to light a fire under Nike's ***. Get them to create a brand for him and other players who shared the passion of creating the products for the game they played. Lebron may be a lifetime athlete, a billion-dollar man, but I really doubt the guy even weartests his own sneakers most of the time.
 
I could be wrong, but something seems off about those Booker IVs. Materials - specifically the laces - look cheaper than the real deal to me
 
tigo0240 said:
This thread started with the Kobe AD line. People made new threads as new "AD" models came out, but people generally gravitated back to this thread.

After the NXT 360 and FF, and Kobe's death, it more or less became a thread to talk anything Kobe footwear/apparel related. Protro threads open up as soon as models are confirmed.


From a business perspective, it sounds more like Kobe was making a power move to light a fire under Nike's ***. Get them to create a brand for him and other players who shared the passion of creating the products for the game they played. Lebron may be a lifetime athlete, a billion-dollar man, but I really doubt the guy even weartests his own sneakers most of the time.
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It’s all but confirmed he doesnt wear test his own pairs. He has modifications made a month in to each season 😂.
 
Take it with a grain of salt I asked Nick on Twitter and he replied with this.
 

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Yeah I have the Kuzma PE's and comparing them, there was just too much off to make the deal
 
T_p_Hill said:
Lets be rational here and im not sure nor do i care which came first. Its clutter and alot of it.

Photos are one thing but Its redundant to bring over the same complaints and inquiries from recent releases which have threads dedicated specifically for them.
People are free to post as they like, the original inquiry was the *why* do so, following these two initial responses i have my presumptive answer and thank you both.
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The title of this thread is broad and sweeping.

There is going to be overlap and I don’t mind it at all.
langfor5 said:
That would have been interesting to see how that played out especially if he focused more on a global stage. We all know how big he is in Asia.
A part of me thinks he was exploring all options or using that as a potential leverage piece for further negotiations with Nike. While the thought of a player owned brand is a great thought in principle you wonder how that would have worked without the backing of Nike especially if he didn’t own the rights to his past signature models. Right now performance based basketball products are down across the board with casual and retro dominating sales. What would have happened if Kobe no longer had access to his past retro models and only could make future designs. Again, interesting concept and if there was any guy who would have been driven to make it work it would have been Kobe.
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I don’t think that his success away from Nike would have been dependent on him owning the rights to his Nike models.

To your point about his following in Asia, he had potential customers locked in.

Obviously whatever company that would have materialized from the Shervin tweets wouldn’t have come close to Nike in terms of scale or influence but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t an avenue for Kobe to still make a killing with a reasonably priced shoe and apparel with his name on it.

Maybe a brand with a foothold in the shoe world like Sketchers would have bought a huge stake (like they did with Brand Black) and that would have given this new Kobe brand the resources to succeed.

Definitely would have been interesting to see how that played out 😞
 
Kobe 8 Protro:

- more tongue padding
- shorter laces
- heel and forefoot (or full-length) zoom in slightly firm cushlon/react carrier midsole
 
Sulfurs and Fades and I’m set. I didnt like any other colorways enough to buy originally. They went overboard with colorways with the 8.
 
Last edited:
Hello all, I hope this is the right place to ask this question. I just purchased kobe 9 beethovens with no insoles and I wanted to know if anybody knows where I can find/purchase good insolesreplacements for these shoes? Thank you fellas in advance.
 
jhaime21 said:
Hello all, I hope this is the right place to ask this question. I just purchased kobe 9 beethovens with no insoles and I wanted to know if anybody knows where I can find/purchase good insolesreplacements for these shoes? Thank you fellas in advance.
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If you want the actual, original Kobe 9 drop-in midsole, eBay is about your only hope.

Frankly the cushion wasn't very good in the Kobe 9. Honestly I'd just go to an orthotics website and pick out a new insole/orthotic within your price range. Perhaps a NTer who wear the same size could offer up measurements so you get a proper fit.

Alternatively, you could search for a Jordan 2012, Kobe 8, or Lebron 11 drop-in midsole.
 
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