The 12 Biggest Breakthroughs of the Nike Kobe Line

Today, Nike Basketball is expected to unveil the Nike Kobe 12. This is big news, as the Nike Kobe line has long pushed the envelope in regard to innovation and performance. It’s also big news because the Black Mamba is now retired from the NBA – making this the first signature shoe of his post-playing career.

Over his time in the league with the Swoosh, the Laker legend has changed the industry in a plethora of ways. As Nike debuts his 12th signature shoe, we look at 12 ways his series has impacted the game and the culture.

For updates on the latest Kobe releases, take a look at the upcoming Kobe release dates.

12. Pulled from the pitch

Kobe Bryant has long loved soccer. While many athletes are fans of other sports, Kobe’s interest in the pitch pulled over to his signature shoe line in both color blocking and construction for an amazing cross-genre mashup. “Mambacurial” and “Barcelona” makeups still cause a stir every time they drop, with futbol cleats inspiring the cut of the revolutionary Zoom Kobe 4.

11. Helped introduce multi-silo model

Just as Air Jordans would play with the .5 and SE formats, the Nike Kobe line pushed the modern era when the Kobe II launched in multiple variations. Though the Strength / Sheath / Lite variations may have been a bit confusing in the marketplace, it was an early preview of the path signature shoes across the industry would take in the future.

10. Collaborated with HTM

If you want to get an Ekin’s attention by only saying three letters, then ‘HTM’ is a pretty good start. Referencing the brain trust that is Hiroshi Fujiwara, Tinker Hatfield and Mark Parker, the Nike Kobe line has been a muse for their creative colorways and unique updates. Kobe models with said tagging created a new subculture for chasing the rarest of the rare.

9. Brought Eric Avar back to the forefront of Nike hoops

Tinker Hatfield is a household name in sneaker culture and for good reason, but when it comes to performance hoops, Eric Avar is as big of a boss as it gets. Doing work for Penny Hardaway, Charles Barkley, and countless others throughout the 90s, the designer made his mark in the 2000s on the Nike Kobe series. Pushing the boundaries of tech and innovation for the game’s most studious player, the result was perhaps the best performance basketball line ever made.

8. Actively paid homage to the past

The Nike Zoom Kobe 1 was a collage of great Nike Basketball shoes, pulling pieces ranging from the Blazer to the Zoom Turbine. While later models were more forward-thinking, they would still highlight peaks from previous models by pulling out old colorways.

7. Thrived on NikeiD

Of all the signature basketball lines to hit NikeiD, few have had a more impressive and impactful run than the Kobe series. Starting early, the line has seen creative color blocking on the likes of the Kobe 2 to Flyknit threading on later models. In addition, NikeiD also allowed fans to create colorways he would wear on court, like the “Kid Hollywood” pair seen above.

6. Revamped Nike Basketball’s viral marketing

From “Ankle Insurance” to the Black Mamba’s mini-movie co-starring Kanye West, Kobe Bryant and the Nike Basketball team have kept viral marketing fun and innovative in respect to his signature line. Sure, the biggest hit they had was with the Aston Martin-leaping Hyperdunk, which isn’t technically a Kobe sig, but the momentum they created and maintained has been impressive and enjoyable.

5. Brought Flyknit to basketball

Some will argue just how practical Flyknit threading is for basketball, but it sure has made the sport’s shoes more interesting and more beautiful. The first player to lace up Nike’s super popular technology on the hardwood was Kobe Bryant. Not only were his Flyknit high tops and low tops loved by fans, many players across the league also lace them up for their games.

4. Made Christmas a sneaker holiday

Christmas Day has long been huge for the NBA. While many players would debut new shoes on the court and many fans would wish for new shoes under the tree, it was Kobe Bryant who became the most synonymous with breaking out special sneakers on December 25th. “Grinch,” “Cheetah” and “Stocking” styles all live on in collector and holiday lore.

3. Kept focus solely on innovation

Though co-opted as casually cool, the Nike Kobe line is one of the few signature series that never “chased denim.” As basketball shoes became big business again in the off-court realm, the Kobe line did the best job of maintaining its integrity on innovation and bringing on new tech. Was every shoe or innovation a performance win? Not necessarily, but it was almost always something new rooted in tech.

2. Made performance basketball shoes a collectible again

While Air Jordans during Mike’s playing days created the culture we all know and love, performance basketball shoes lessened in popularity after he eventually hung it up. If you were copping LeBrons or VCs, it was to play in them, not to stock and typically not to build an outfit around. The Kobe line changed that with limited edition colorways sparking the imagination and creating a chase. While the “South Beach” LeBron 8s eventually broke the floodgates on this trend, it was the Kobe line that was starting it before.

1. Made low-top basketball shoes en vogue

While Steve Nash and Mike Bibby were championing low-top silos at the point guard position, Kobe Bryant’s introduction of the Nike Zoom Kobe IV changed the way the league and fans looked at below-the-ankle sneakers. After a year of playing in them — and playing well — many players across the league started adopting his signature shoe, ranging from speedy backcourt players to big men in the paint.