As seen on Unboxed Issue 58. The Unboxed newsletter covers the most important stories of the week across sneakers, sports, and fashion straight to your inbox on Mondays.
It’s not often that most of us run into the same issues as the world’s best basketball players, but here we are. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently reported that NBA players are “hoarding” their Kobe collection as new pairs are getting harder and harder to come by.
If you listened to the SoleSavy podcast earlier in the season, we broke down why the lack of a new Nike & Kobe estate deal would certainly impact the league’s bonafide sneakerheads. We’re now seeing its impact as some players are struggling to get their hands on Protros and even the OG pairs. Mamba-heads like Suns’ Devin Booker and Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan stocked up on pairs before the deal’s expiration.
But what does this mean for the rest of the league? Will Nike try to push its athletes to ball in newer silhouettes like the GT Cut, or will players go out of their way to track down older Kobe’s? There’s no indication of a new Nike x Kobe deal. Despite Vanessa Bryant filing trademarks under the Kobe estate, there’s no signs pointing to any progress on footwear – whether through the Swoosh or elsewhere. Keep it locked on SoleSavy as we continue to follow developments.
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