This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Nick Young had big shoes to fill last night.
Young, who leads the Lakers in scoring, owns the responsibility of playmaking and is considered LA’s best perimeter player, has been doing his best to fill Kobe Bryant’s shoes all season. Yet, last night, Young got the opportunity to literally fill the Black Mamba’s shoes, as he was handpicked by Kobe and Nike to debut Bryant’s latest signature shoe, the Nike Kobe 9, in last night’s matchup against the Miami Heat on national television. With Kobe out, why Nick Young?
“It’s my swag, man. What more can I say?” joked Young. “Seriously though, Nike and Kobe know I love his shoes, so they allowed me to be the first player to wear them on court. To tell you the truth, I feel really honored.”
Young recorded 19 points in his debut of the Nike Kobe 9 Elite, a shoe that won’t publicly release until February 8. Kobe’s ninth signature shoe is predominately comprised of Nike’s innovative Flyknit material, which was first used in Nike Running shoes in 2012. The shoe, which features a considerable high cut, is a change from the low top silhouettes Nike has consistently created for Kobe’s line over the past six years.
Is one of the NBA’s most persistent low-top basketball shoe wearers in agreement with the Kobe 9’s unconventional mold in regards to performance?
“Well, it fits around your ankle really well,” Nick Young said. “It was my first time wearing high tops on court in a while, so I had to get used to it, but the shoe is great to play in. I really enjoyed playing in it.”
The idea of filling Kobe’s shoes is a tall order for Nick Young, let alone anyone. In fact, Young would rather be remembered for filling his own shoes at the end of the day, but when you get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to debut your favorite player’s shoes before even he is able to, you soon find out that attempting to fit someone else’s shoes is not as tall of an order as you thought.
“It’s going to be the shoe of the summer, I think, because it’s a shoe you’re going to be able to wear on and off court,” said Young. “It’s definitely a next-level shoe.”
**Note** Hear about the pressure Kobe Bryant himself applied to Nick Young before the game and what LeBron James said to him about the shoes in the game by way of our Kicks On Court Weekly Recap later today.
Nick Young shooting in the Nike Kobe 9 Elite Nick Young passing the ball in the Nike Kobe 9 Elite Nick Young shooting in the Nike Kobe 9 Elite Nick Young handling the ball in the Nike Kobe 9 Elite Nick Young sporting the Nike Kobe 9 Elite Nick Young’s Nike Kobe 9 Elite
