Pioneered by Michael Jordan and carried on through Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James, among others, Nike has a long history of successful signature sneaker lines.
Although Nike has taken a backseat to Adidas in terms of casual footwear, they’ve maintained a stranglehold on the basketball market. Nike has capitalized on its marquee athletes regularly being part of the All-Star game, NBA playoffs, and NBA Finals.
Each high-profile event has historically been accompanied by the unveiling of a new shoe and/or a limited release. Such was the case when James debuted a Nike Lebron 14 PE red colorway for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
He followed that up by wearing a black and gold colorway of the Nike LeBron Soldier 11 in Game 2. But for NBA Finals practice on Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena, James traded in his signature line for the Nike Kobe 11, via Sole Collector:
#SoleWatch: @KingJames practicing in the “Mango” Nike Kobe 11. pic.twitter.com/WAvybNF8j0
— SoleCollector.com (@SoleCollector)
James frequently wore various Kobe shoes during his high school days, but otherwise hasn’t during his time in the NBA.James will of course switch back to one of his signature shoes for Game 3 on Wednesday night. His Cleveland Cavaliers will look to avoid falling behind to the Golden State Warriors, 3-0.