Celebrating Black Mamba on His Birthday
It’s now been over four years since Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi tragically lost their lives in a helicopter accident, but it’s still hard to believe they’re gone. One of the greatest athletes of all time left this world much too soon, and we also lost a future hoops star who sadly never got the chance to reach her full potential. But as they say, legends never die, and the Mamba Mentality lives on in the hearts of sports fans everywhere. Kobe will certainly never be forgotten by collectors of cards and sneakers, as he leaves behind a huge legacy in the history of each. Since 1996, when his first rookie cards hit the market, he’s been one of the most in-demand athletes in The Hobby, and his signature shoe lines with adidas and Nike are among some of the greatest designs to ever step onto the court.
With all that in mind, today we celebrate what would have been Kobe Bryant’s 46th birthday with this special set of Kicks on Cards packed with sightings of some of his best footwear from the early portion of his NBA career.
1996-97 Bowman’s Best Picks #BP10 Kobe Bryant // adidas Top Ten 2010
We begin our Kobe set with this awesome 1996-97 Bowman’s Best Picks card picturing a young Mamba in the first shoe he wore in the NBA, the adidas Top Ten 2010. This shoe is a classic hoops model in the adidas Feet You Wear line, characterized by ergonomically shaped sole designs intended to fit your foot better and provide great comfort. Bryant wore the shoe early in his rookie season, as seen on this rare Bowman’s Best Picks rookie card.
2002-03 Topps Ten Parallel #14 Kobe Bryant // adidas The Kobe 1
A card from the “Frobe” era is next, this 2002-03 “Topps Ten” parallel with a sighting of his first adidas signature shoe, the Kobe 1. The futuristic shoe inspired by Kobe’s Audi sportscar is certainly a polarizing design, but also an essential model in his sneaker history.
2003-04 Bowman Chrome #100 Kobe Bryant // Air Jordan 8 PE
We jump next to Kobe on his 2003-04 Bowman Chrome card, wearing a player-exclusive Air Jordan 8. This image was from his “sneaker free agency” season of 2002-03 in between his contracts with adidas and Nike, where he hit the court in a number of amazing player exclusives supplied by Nike, Jordan, and Reebok. He even wore Air Force 1 Mids, but no doubt one of his most memorable pairs from that season was this Jordan 8 in Lakers colors.
2004-05 Topps Finest Refractor #8 Kobe Bryant /249 // Nike Huarache 2K4 PE
We close with this rare ‘04-05 Topps Finest Refractor, which pictures Kobe in one of his Nike Huarache 2K4 PEs, featuring an intricate lasered pattern across the upper. Although the Huarache 2K4 wasn’t a signature shoe for Bryant, he is closely associated with it since it was the Nike model he often wore after his contract with the brand began in 2003. With or without Kobe wearing the Huarache 2K4, it’s considered one of the all-time great, best-performing Nike Basketball shoes by aficionados of the category.
