Jonathan Kuminga Breaks the Internet With Rare Kobe Shoes
On Friday night, the Golden State Warriors picked up a much-needed victory over the Houston Rockets. Warriors' power forward Jonathan Kuminga provided solid production, but it was the second-year players' shoes that did numbers on social media.
Kuminga wore an extremely rare pair of Nike shoes from Kobe Bryant's signature line. The 20-year-old wore the Nike Kobe 8 Elite iD in a one-of-one colorway. Back during Bryant's heyday and the golden era of Nike Basketball, fans could customize their hoop shoes down to the very last detail.
Kuminga (or whoever designed the shoes online) utilized the "shedding skin" option when personalizing the hoop shoes. The shoes featured a multicolored snake scale upper that cost an extra $20 at the time. In retrospect, it was a minor investment that paid significant dividends on the court last night.
Nike Kobe 8 iD
A detailed look at Jonathan Kuminga's shoes.
© Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
It is hard to discuss Bryant's signature line and not get melancholy. After signing with Nike in 2003, Bryant and the American brand created one of the most popular performance basketball sneaker lines of all time.
As the Los Angeles Lakers racked up championships, Bryant continued to push the Nike design team to get more experimental with his shoes. But most importantly, it was for the people. That is what is lost on Nike Basketball and the current iteration of the Kobe line.
Recently, fans were tantalized by the Nike Kobe 6 Protro 'Black History Month,' only to realize it was yet another player-exclusive colorway. Whenever there is a rare release from the Nike Kobe line, the shoes end up in the hands of resellers who used bots to manipulate the system or celebrities who were seeded the shoes for extra clout.
Fans will still get a few chances to Bryant's shoes in 2023. Two colorways of the Nike Kobe Protro 4 and 6 are releasing, and the Nike Kobe 8 Protro is finally launching. However, the basketball shoes built for the masses have become luxury items designated for the few.
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