Knicks' Jalen Brunson Wants to Carry on Kobe Bryant's Legacy

Like so many players in the NBA and people who enjoy basketball, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson was a huge fan of Kobe Bryant.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend left a lasting impact on the world for his fierce competitiveness and success on the court, while also building a strong legacy off it. While not to the extent that Michael Jordan reached with Nike, Bryant has quite a following for his sneakers as well.

Kobe's model shoes can be seen on a nightly basis on an NBA court, and leading the charge in that regard is Brunson. During All-Star Weekend, he was asked about being the new face of the shoe line, to which he offered a very calculated answer.

Brunson pushed back a little bit on being called the face of the shoe line, but was honored to receive such recognition.

Jalen Brunson honoring Kobe Bryant on the court

Team USA Stripes guard Jalen Brunson dribbling past World forward Karl-Anthony Towns — Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team USA Stripes guard Jalen Brunson (11) of the New York Knicks controls the ball against Team World forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) of the New York Knicks in game three during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"I'm trying to wear one of my favorite player's shoes. So I wouldn't say the face. I enjoy wearing the shoes. I enjoy being able to represent them. It means the world to me,” the New York All-Star point guard said during his media session.

While that humble answer is something Knicks fans have grown accustomed to hearing from their team’s captain, calling him the new face of the Kobe Bryant Sneaker Line isn’t an exaggeration.

Q: "You're the face of the Kobes now"

Jalen Brunson: "I'm trying to wear one of my favorite player's shoes. So I wouldn't say the face. I enjoy wearing them, being able to represent them. It means the world to me" pic.twitter.com/sWgm4BE67b
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 16, 2026

During the 2025 Eastern Conference Playoffs, Brunson debuted a new colorway of the Nike Kobe 6 Protros that drew inspiration from the Statue of Liberty. The shoes are a seafoam green with gold accents that were appropriately dubbed the “Jalen Brunson” colorway.

A player of his caliber certainly deserves his own signature shoe line. However, that isn’t something that the New York star has any interest in pursuing; instead, wanting to honor Bryant and continue wearing his sneakers.

“The discussion recently has been if Jalen would have his own signature shoe with Nike,” sneaker photographer Riccardo Mestre said in a sneaker panel with The Grindhouse Inc. in January. “Internally, the discussions have gone on, and it’s gotten to the point now where Jalen has pretty much said, ‘I refuse, I don’t want a signature. Just let me wear Kobe’s for the rest of my career.'”

While Brunson doesn’t want his own signature line, Nike has still found ways to treat him well. He is featured on posters around New York City, had a colorway named after him and recently debuted another sneaker, the Nike Kobe 3 Low Protro, in orange and blue for the Knicks.

Unless he unexpectedly changes his stance on having his own signature line, expect personalized colorways to continue being the route Brunson and Nike take so that he can continue honoring one of his favorite players on the court.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!