The late, great Kobe Bryant became the first guard in league history drafted out of high school in 1996, ushering in a new era of “Showtime” basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers. After twenty glorious seasons in the purple and gold, Kobe belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time great Lakers. 60 points in his final career game put Kobe in a legendary category all by himself. We may never again see another like the “Black Mamba” with the same competitive drive, that same killer mentality on the court, and such an incredible obsession with perfection.
Featured here is a pair of Kobe Bryant game-worn shoes from his memorable rookie campaign in 1996-97 when he was just an 18-year-old pup flooded with talent and untapped potential. Kobe saw action in 71 games that year and averaged 7.6 points in 15.5 minutes per game, earning 2nd Team All-Rookie honors. He was an All-Star his sophomore season, but it was not until his third year that he became a full-time starter and stopped playing second fiddle to Shaq.
Kobe rocked the Adidas ‘EQT Top Ten’ model shoes for his entire rookie season. For a couple nice style matches, see Getty Images 486269253 (first home matchup against Jordan on Feb. 5, 1997) and 51790740. Made of nylon and patent leather, the white/black/silver colorways have "Adidas Equipment" on the silver tongues, the apparel company’s “Feet You Wear" logo on the heels, and the patented three-stripe logo in triangle format on the sides. Interior tagging indicates size 13.5 with a November 1996 manufacturing date. The laces appear to be the originals, although the interior soles have been removed. Overall, they show a solid amount of wear on the outsoles and around the toes.
Bryant has autographed the outer toe area of each shoe with his first jersey number “8” in bold black marker (9/10). These amazing Kobe rookie sneakers come with a full LOA from MEARS for their game use along with LOA’s from JSA and PSA/DNA for the signatures.