As we count down the days to Kobe Bryant’s final game on April 13, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look back at each of Kobe’s signature sneakers and two others that were closely tied with him. Nike celebrates his legacy with a special Black Mamba Pack. The 13-sneaker pack shows a white to black fade starting from the all white Huarache 2K4 down to the all black Kobe 11, an appropriate metaphor leading into his final game. Read more about the Black Mamba Pack and the stories behind each silhouette. Titan will be releasing the Huarache 2K4 tomorrow at BGC via special raffle to kick off the Mamba pack.
The partnership between Kobe Bryant and designer Eric Avar has re-established the rules of basketball footwear. Both Bryant and Avar obsess performance and over time they’ve experimented with and employed Flywire and Flyknit, gone from low to high-cut and taken strides to revolutionize traction. Each of Bryant’s shoes — 11 signature shoes and two that have been closely tied to him (the Nike Huarache 2K4 and the original Hyperdunk from 2008) — has made an immediate impact on the court while influencing global sneaker culture.
The Black Mamba Pack celebrates this legacy. The collection slowly fades from white to black with each shoe, an appropriate metaphor leading into Bryant’s final game on April 13.
Along Bryant’s journey, he’s taken inspiration from around the world. 13 cities are represented with GPS coordinate markings in The Black Mamba Pack boxes. Athletes and fans of Bryant are encouraged to track his inspirational journey to find out the inside story and making of a HeroVillain.
Each of the 13 sneakers will be available starting tomorrow, March 23, exclusively at Titan BGC!
Below are stories behind each pair, seen on the special insert that comes with each Kobe sneaker.
Each box features:
“The Making of a HeroVillain” inscribed alongside the L/L coordinates.
Shoes & Locations:
2004: 2K4 – Rieti, Italy
It starts with an unconditional love for the game. Watching his father play
professionally in a foreign country and obsessing the game through VHS tapes of the
pro games that his grandfather would send, Kobe’s love was born.
2005: Kobe 1 – Lower Merion, HS Philadelphia
Giving the game everything and anything, Kobe blossomed into an elite high school
prospect with superstar potential at Lower Merion HS in Philadelphia.
2006: Kobe 2 Shanghai
Giving back to the game he gave everything to, Kobe traveled to China for the first time
on the Kobe 81 Asia Tour. The tour physically grounded Kobe’s revered Hero status
through his lessons of intensity and dedication.
2007: Kobe 3 – Inglewood, CA
Aiming for perfection of his craft through maniacal intensity from the very beginning,
Kobe joined the Laker’s at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, CA. It was here that
the world was first introduced to what would become the Mamba Mentality.
2008: Hyperdunk – Beijing, Cn
Uncompromising in his approach, Kobe brought his win at all costs game to the world
in Beijing, reaffirming Hero status to many and becoming the Villain to many more.
2009: Kobe 4 – Orlando
Embracing extreme highs and lows, self-doubt and media doubt, Kobe set an even
higher bar for what it takes to be great with his first Final’s MVP in Orlando.
2010: Kobe 5 – Boston
Avenging the 2008 series loss to Boston, Kobe further gave himself to his pursuit of
perfection, winning back-to-back championships in 2009 & 2010.
2011: Kobe 6 – Manila
With so much to give the game he loves, Kobe goes back to the Philippines, a country
with a real love affair with basketball. Playing a ‘pick-up’ game in Manila vs UAAP All
Stars, the Black Mamba showed first hand how intense competition can be, no matter
the game.
2012: Kobe 7 – London
Sacrifice was the heart of the Black Mamba mastering his craft and becoming a
HeroVillain. In London Kobe put scoring aside to lead a nation as the team’s best
defensive player as he went on to win his 2nd gold medal.
2013: Kobe 8 – Hollywood
Fresh off back to back Championships and his 2nd Olympic gold, Kobe went back to
Hollywood with an unrelenting drive for more, obsessing every detail of his game,
including the innovation that went into his signature footwear.
2014: Kobe 9 – Toronto
The Black Mamba’s undeniable determination was evident in his 81-point game vs.
Toronto, the remarkable result of his endless pursuit of perfection year after year.
2015: Kobe 10 – Sub-Saharan Africa
Agility and aggressiveness, the foundation for Kobe’s game, are the defining
characteristics of one of the planet’s deadliest predators, the black mamba, found in
Sub Saharan Africa.
2016: Kobe 11 – Los Angeles
Stay relentless long enough and the world will start to think of you as a villain. Stay innovative long enough and the game will start to look at you as a hero. This is the duality of a player whose pursuit of perfection has defied convention for over 20 years with Los Angeles, CA at the center of it all.
