adidas Basketball is bringing back Kobe Bryant’s signature line in 2022, as initially reported by Complex‘s Brendan Dunne.
Bryant entered the league and penned a sneaker deal with the Three Stripes that included several PEs and his own signature line. Bryant would eventually leave the brand in the early 2000s and went on his sneaker free agency run that flipped the industry on its head before signing with Nike in 2003.
Kobe Bryant in the adidas Kobe 1 “Sunshine”
The Kobe 1, inspired by the Audi TT Roadster, and the EQT Elevation were the core of the adidas and Bryant partnership. Years after he departed from the brand, adidas is bringing back the classics (without Kobe’s name tied to the shoes) once again. Sticking to previous retros, the Kobe 1 will be called the Crazy 1, and the EQT Elevation, which he wore during the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, will still be renamed as the Crazy 97 EQT.
As Dunne reports, the German brand will more than likely refrain from using any mention of the late Mamba during the retro rollout given the Bryant’s estate currently no longer partners with the brand.
Kobe Bryant in the EQT Elevation during the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest
Leaked images indicate that the OG Kobe 1 “Stormtrooper” and “Sunshine” pair will release in 2022 alongside the OG EQT Elevation colorway in purple, yellow, and white iteration worn in the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Kobe Bryant in the adidas Kobe 1
In addition to the original colorways’ rumored return, adidas will celebrate the ’97 dunk competition with a commemorative Crazy 97 EQT. The rumored colorway draws on Cleveland Cavaliers’ throwback color scheme as black, baby blue, and orange land on the upcoming model as the 2022 All-Star Game goes back to The Land, where Byrant was crowned slam dunk champion in 1997.
adidas Crazy 97 EQT “All-Star” (Image via Complex)
In addition to the leaks, Candace Parker posted the adidas Crazy 1 “Awards Season” on her Instagram story. Parker, a longtime adidas athlete and close friend of Vanessa Bryant, could very well have confirmed that more is on the way. The Instagram story tagged Vanessa Bryant, who would go on to repost it.
Vanessa Bryant reposting Candace Parker’s Instagram story with the adidas Crazy 1 “Awards Season”
To learn more about the Kobe Bryant and Nike fallout and what to expect, tune in to Episode 60 of the SoleSavy podcast as DP, Ian Stonebrook, and Marco Henry Negrete chime in on the state of affairs.
Keep it locked for more adidas news, and be sure to sign up for a SoleSavy membership to learn more about the most genuine sneaker community out there and how to buy upcoming releases like this one.
adidas Crazy 1 (Image via Complex)
adidas Crazy 1 (image via Complex)