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While LeBron James and Kobe Bryant currently serve as two of the biggest names on Nike Basketball, 14 years ago both stars were laced by the Three Stripes. Kobe, a signature athlete for adidas, and LeBron, a high school phenom at the adidas outfitted SVSM, had a chance meeting in Philly at the 2002 NBA All-Star Game where the Black Mamba gifted LeBron a pair of the very rare “USA Flag” adidas The Kobe 2 PEs — a time when King James was only a prince.
“My most fond moment is [when] he gave me his shoes when I was in high school. I think I was playing in a tournament in Teaneck, New Jersey, and they were playing in the [2002] All-Star game in Philly,” James told ESPN. “And I had an opportunity to go meet him, and he gave me a pair of his shoes, and I actually wore them in a game against Oak Hill, against Melo, actually.”
For those keeping track at home, the adidas The Kobe 2 “USA Flag” serves as perhaps the rarest of adidas Kobe PEs as it never released at retail during its original run nor has it ever retroed. Kobe wore this rare PE in an NBA outing, and as mentioned, a young LeBron wore them in high school against Carmelo Anthony.
As the Black Mamba prepares for his curtain call at the end of the season, is it time for adidas to bring these back? We sure hope so. Let us know if you’d rock or cop a retro release in the comments section.
Source: Complex
