Despite the mentor-mentee relationship, the official collaboration between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant remained rare. That’s why six months ago, their memorabilia set the all-time sports card auction record at $12.932 million. What happens if one allegedly makes a sneaker pair collab of the two basketball greats’ brands? A straight pink slip arrives at their desk.

At least that’s what legendary Fat Joe, who is renowned for his extensive sneaker collection, revealed on GotSole. “I’ve got a sneaker, and I’ve shown it before, where a guy from Nike got fired because of me. I’m not proud of it,” said Joe. “He made a Jordan and Kobe collab, and it’s so old that it should have break if I just pull it out.

But that sneaker right there, no one has showed me that sneaker again. I’ve never seen it with nobody. He got fired because at the time, Kobe and Jordan wasn’t collaborating. It wasn’t doing nothing like that. And he got in trouble for that s—.”

This is not the first time Fat Joe has narrated this story. Nike, the $96.2 billion juggernaut, reportedly terminated an employee’s contract for creating exclusive, one-of-one, or limited-run sneakers, such as the Jordan x Kobe collab, for Fat Joe. The Kobe Bryant Air Jordan VII sneakers were never officially released. But the Lakers legend formally did wear them on January 5, 2003, against the Phoenix Suns.

Black Mamba finished with a double-double with 31 points, 7 assists, and 12 rebounds. This was after the Lakers legend reportedly paid $8 million to exit his contract with Adidas, which made him legally unable to sign with another brand until the following year.

It started the era of Kobe being a sneaker-free agent. During the 2002–03 NBA season, one can find the 4x NBA champion with a legendary array of footwear, from rare player exclusives to unreleased prototypes.

Maybe that’s how Fat Joe got his hands on the rare collaboration between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Even in his sneakers collection video with BET Networks, one can find multiple rare pairs of shoes. But a Kobe-MJ shoe collaboration for the public remains a rare sight.

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant broke the record

So, when a rare 2007–08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs featuring game-worn Logoman patches and on-card signatures from Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant appeared, the fans bought into the hype.  It is created as a true 1-of-1 centerpiece of the Exquisite era’s premium patch-auto concept and is also called the modern “holy grail.”

At auction, it sold for $12.9 million, setting the all-time sports card auction record. The purchase makes it the most expensive sports card sold at auction, surpassing a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle No. 311, which went for $12.6 million in August 2022.

Another thing of note is that the card is not in ‘mint condition’. It was graded a PSA 6 out of 10. The lower the rating, the lower the price and appeal of any memorabilia. But this did not apply to this card.

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Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports auctions, reflected on the card’s significance. “Grades matter as far as pricing goes for standard-issue cards, but this is a 1-of-1, so the grade is less important overall to how the card performed.”

Now, imagine Nike releasing a sneaker to honor Kobe Bryant in collaboration with the Michael Jordan brand.

Since both superstars have a contract with Nike, it makes sense for them to release a rare pair. It might not set new records, but for fans it will be another opportunity to celebrate the icons.