Caitlin Clark Gets No Praise as NBA Community Makes Harsh Declaration About Kobe Bryant Shoes

From the day she recreated the iconic Kobe Bryant image, this was coming. It still triggered a few fans though. While Nike isn’t very loved by fans right now – from sky-high Air Jordan prices, to milking Kobe’s legacy, and delaying a certain WNBA star’s signature show are only some of the reasons – they tapped someone who’s a literal game-changer. Caitlin Clark is the biggest thing in women’s basketball right now and fans have been waiting for her to get her due regard from Nike. That 8-figure contract isn’t cutting it until she gets her own shoe. Clark’s come a little close though. And fans aren’t so thrilled about it.

Nike just dropped a Caitlin Clark version of their Kobes. The Kobe V Protro in Clark’s colorway went on sale on Monday morning. As everyone expected, they were sold out in minutes. There’s a little catch, though.

These sneaks retail for $190. Almost everyone who bought it is trying to profit off it, as reports claim the new shoes immediately found themselves on resale sites for prices as high as $400. It’s evident that the wait for a Caitlin Clark shoe and the Kobe Bryant nostalgia value are a blockbuster combination.

Clark is a huge fan of Nike Kobes and almost always plays in them. Her version features a Midnight Navy upper, a Bright Crimson, and University Gold. The lateral Nike Swoosh logos and Kobe signatures on the heels both feature a gradient pattern. Much of the design remains true to Bryant‘s original design.

Launched in 2019, the Kobe V Protros are one of the most acclaimed performance shoes athletes love. The “Draft Day” and two “Year of the Mamba” editions in “Eggplant” and “University Red” are the bestsellers in this line. So no surprise there. Nike did this extremely limited launch with only 13,000 units, with more to drop later this year. There’s potential for a sold-out drop then too.

However, some don’t think CC deserves credit for the successful launch.

Caitlin Clark and Kobe Bryant combination strikes a nerve

Lately, Nike seemingly can’t do anything right by fans. Worth over $100 billion, its value and market share continue to grow. Its marketing, though, has yet to win over new fans. They are especially unhappy about the sneaker giant still selling shoes under the late Kobe Bryant’s name.

So the Caitlin Clark version was received with mixed feelings. Even the news of it being sold out had en masse reactions like, “They are Kobe’s of course they would sell out,” and “Kobes always sell out 🤷🏿‍♂️.” Accurate since fans have always demanded more of Kobe retros.

After renewing its deal with Bryant’s estate and his widow, Vanessa Bryant, Nike brought back his signature line in 2023. It released three versions in 2023 and 15 in 2024! Since then, the brand’s appeal has increased. In one quarterly meeting in 2024, executives claimed that the monthly 2024 Kobe drops “quadrupled” their overall sales. So Nike’s inclination to Kobe retros is understandable.

The Indiana Fever guard is catching strays, too, but it’s mostly on Nike. Fans are dissatisfied that the original Caitlin Clark shoe is nowhere in sight after signing her in 2024. Even though Nike teased a 2026 drop, they haven’t revealed their logo yet, piling on the disappointment. That’s why fans feel that Nike is once again capitalizing on Bryant’s name and using Clark to sell existing designs.

As the sales figures prove, the Clark and Kobe combination sells well, but doesn’t sit well. “Great marketing attaching her sneaker to Kobe. Win win cause the sneaker is 🥶,” is one fan’s blatant jab at Nike. And it worked too because of another’s reasoning, “People love Kobe’s shoes so. No surprise there.” 

Among those who love the design is Clark herself. She’s debuted multiple versions of the retro-releases in the past year, including an Indiana Fever version. Oddly, fans who are made she doesn’t have her own shoe take it out on her for sporting Bryant’s sneakers.

Like always, it’s polarizing and many came to her defence. Some, like this fan who said, “All the hating. It’s not good,” feel sympathy for Clark. Fans have long felt that Clark is getting overlooked by Nike, yet still gets dragged.

As this one fan put it, “They stay gassing shorty no matter what 😂 don’t let her dunk, she’s better than Jordan.” Those Michael Jordan comparisons aren’t new by the way. NBA legends like Kevin Garnett have long claimed that to justify why she gets as much hate as MJ used to. Nut MJ also got his own shoe in his rookie year and got Nike out of the red to give other athletes more opportunities. By that standard, she deserves to have sold out sales for her own signature shoe sooner rather than later.