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The Grinch Goes Hollywood.
Happy Holidays and thank you all for joining us for this newest edition of Nice Kicks’ Throwback Thursday where we celebrate one of the greatest Christmas Day kicks of all time: the “Grinch” Nike Zoom Kobe 6.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except Nike’s basketball and design teams. Just what were they up to? Devising an ingenious concept of outfitting Kobe Bryant – at the time game’s premier player fresh off his second consecutive championship – with a special pair of bright green Zoom Kobe 6s. This pair was to be worn the very next night against the Miami Heat, a pair appropriately named “The Grinch,” an ode to Dr. Seuss’ childhood storybook character.
Such a move was nothing new for the Swoosh brand or Kobe, who together have been on the cutting edge of marketing, design and technology, oftentimes going against the grain and taking a different path and direction entirely.
Throughout his remarkable and legendary career, Kobe assumed and embraced the role of villain, a player Lakers fans adored, who opponents and their fans loved to hate. Kobe was the Black Mamba, but also a newly minted 5X NBA Champion, having won his second consecutive Finals MVP as Los Angeles’ favorite son, the ultimate King of LA.
Following his impressive NBA Finals performance in June, Kobe rocked the Nike Zoom Kobe 6 in the 2010-2011 season in a variety of colorways. Designed by legendary sneaker guru Eric Avar, the Nike Zoom Kobe 6 featured a polyurethane “island” upper which mimicked snakeskin. Other details included a dual-layer memory foam sockliner, Phlyon-injected midsole, and heel and forefoot Zoom Air units for lightweight, low-profile, highly responsive cushioning.
Kobe debuted the Zoom Kobe 6 “Grinch” on Christmas Day at Staples Center during a home game against LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat’s formidable trio, a game the Heat won 96-80. While Kobe had a subpar shooting performance scoring just 17 points on 6/16 from the field, the everlasting memory of Kobe rocking his bright colored kicks was both monumental and memorable.
Courtside viewers received a special gift bag that included the bright-green Kobe sneaker as well, a generous and thoughtful Christmas gift on the part of the Lakers organization.
To this day, the Zoom Kobe 6 in the volt/black-green apple-crimson colorway is regarded as arguably the best Christmas Day sneaker of all time in part due to its avant-garde colorway, overall aesthetics, and creative marketing strategy on the part of Nike, which, like the player who wore them, remains both timeless and alluring.
Rock the Zoom Kobe 6 and be a Grinch this holiday season.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all, and to all a good night.
