Kobe Bryant made his first shoe endorsement deal even before entering the NBA. Bryant was 17 and straight out of high school when he reportedly signed a six-year, $48m deal with Adidas. The five-time NBA champ moved to Nike in 2003 and helped the brand design some of the best shoes of the generation. 

Kobe launched his own series of specially designed shoes known as the Nike Kobe series. However, Black Mamba faced a perilous situation after suffering from a lateral tibial plateau fracture in his left knee during the 2013-14 season. The injury knocked on Bryant’s door just before he planned to debut the latest Kobe 9 shoes.

Nick Young Came To Rescue Kobe Bryant

Fortunately, Kobe’s former teammate Nick Young came to his and Nike’s rescue. The former Lakers shooting guard was assigned the responsibility to replace Kobe during the launch of his shoe. Young recently shared a deeper insight on the incident and how serious Bryant was about the launch and business side of the Kobe 9.

Kobe Bryant was coming off an Achilles injury at the start of the 2013-14 season. The 18-time All-Star’s Nike shoes were the second best-selling shoes after LeBron James in 2012. The Nike-Kobe shoe model made an estimated $ 50 million in sales alone in the US. Thus, Bryant was focused on taking the business to the next level with the introduction of the Kobe 9 series. 

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However, the Lakers legend suffered a left knee fracture after just six games in his comeback season. After being sidelined, Kobe handed the responsibility of debuting the Kobe 9 shoes to Nick Young. The 2018-NBA Champion recently shared the details about his conversation with Black Mamba in a Twitter retweet post. Nick wrote, “I told Kobe I got you bro his words dnt sh*t the bed wearing my shoes you better get buckets lol.”

Kobe has always been a fierce competitor on the basketball court. He drew inspiration from Michael Jordan and found ways to transfer his attitude off the field. Bryant’s presence of mind and understanding of the game allowed him to maintain a long-term business relationship with Nike over the years.

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Even after Bryant’s passing, the Kobe 9 still remains on the list of shoes provided by Nike. His charisma and attitude on the field also helped Kobe become a successful person off the field. Therefore, the Nike Kobe 9 is one of Kobe Bryant’s most cherished legacies that the NBA cannot forget.