Magazine

Guide

SOLE

Survival

May 2016

Mamba Out A Review of Kobe’s Sneaker Legacy A Review of Kobe’s Sneaker Legacy

Volume 1, Issue 1

Contents 3

Sole Searching: The next month’s upcoming sneaker releases are detailed

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Golden State of Mind: Steph Curry’s Under Armour Deal

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Celebrity Sole Watch: A look at celebrities sneaker choices within the past week

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An interview with Phil Knight and Tinker Hatfield, A look inside their minds

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A review of Kobe Bryant’s 20 year sneaker history

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The olympic show line up’s are revealed, See whats new and whats retroing 2

Celebrity Sole Watch

Sole Searching: May Releases

Air Jordan 7 Citrus-$190

Nike Hurache 2k4 $140

Air Jordan 10 “LA” -$190

Air Jordan 2 GS $140

Addidas Stan Smith $60

C B

Reebok Kendrick Lamar$70

A

New Balance 990$120

Nike Tech Runner 5-$130

D

E

Air Jordan 11$220

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Top 4 For May

Colorway: Black/Black-Dark Grey-Metallic Gold Coin Style #: 310805-012 Release Date: April 27, 2016

Price: $190

Blue Lagoon-Midnight Navy Style #: 310805-404 Release Date: May 14, 2016

Price: $190

Colorway: Black/Black-Dark Grey-Metallic Gold Coin Style #: 310805-012 Release Date: April 27, 2016

Price: $190

Colorway: Pure Platinum/ Black-Vivid Pink Style #: 487211-008 Release Date: May 14, 2016

Price: $140

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Celebrity Sole Watch is a best of 52 series with showdowns every week. This time around, we see Will Smith, A$AP Rocky and Big Sean all in playoff form, rocking heat from the hardwood out and about. Who brought out the best kicks this week? You tell us in the voting poll and the comments section

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A.Macklemore in his Air Jordan 6 “Emerald” PE B. Will Smith in the Nike Air Max 1 C. 2 Chainz in the Just Don x Air Jordan 2 D. Jason Sudeikis in the NikeCourt Zoom Vapor AJ3 E. A$AP Rocky in the Air Jordan 1 High Black/Red F. Big Sean in the Vans Old Skool G. Kevin Hart in the Nike Air Max 90 Ultra Hyperfly T 10

A Review of Kobe’s Sneaker Legacy

Mamba Out Kobe’s Best Moments, In his Best Shoes

“It should come as no surprise that Kobe Bryant shoes are in the same discussion as LeBron James shoes and behind only Michael Jordan shoes as far as the biggest signature lines in basketball history.

E

ven as a teenager, it was clear that Kobe Bryant was special.

Although injuries and age have finally taken their toll, he has put forth elite play in multiple decades and is one of the biggest figures in modern basketball. It should come as no surprise that Kobe Bryant shoes are in the same discussion as LeBron James shoes and behind only Michael Jordan shoes as far as the biggest signature lines in basketball history.

High School Phenom The key difference be-

”

tween the shoe lines for Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant is that Kobe was not always a member of the Nike brand. Only 17 at the time and fresh out of high school, Kobe Bryant signed a endorsement deal with Adidas. The six-year deal was reportedly for $48 million. This might explain why he did not sign with Nike to start his career as Adidas made a big offer to Bryant even before he was drafted. A month later, Bryant was taken 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe Adidas After a low-key rookie season coming off the bench, Kobe Bryant would take his game to the next level and become one of the top players in the NBA by the 200001 season. His Adidas shoes were along for the ride and, other than their association with Bryant, are most memorable for their crazy designs. This might have ultimately been the undoing of the Adidas endorsement deal with Kobe Bryant.

Reportedly unhappy with the KOBE TWO, Bryant officially made the switch to Nike in 2003 following the end of his contract with Adidas during the summer of

2002. This did not prevent work on his next Adidas shoe, and images have surfaced for what would have been the follow-up to the KOBE TWO, although no official name was provided. This was not the only time that Kobe Bryant switched to a competitor in the collecting world. Many will remember that before he was the face of Panini Basketball, Kobe Bryant was part of the Upper Deck family.

Kobe Nike The Nike era of Kobe Bryant shoes began slowly as they collaborated on the inaugural signature design.

In the meantime, Kobe took

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