Whether in high school, college or the NBA, Isaiah Thomas has donned a pair of Kobe Bryant signature shoes more times than not when stepping foot on the court. That’s been particularly true in recent years, as Thomas has worn both current and older models from Bryant’s Nike line.
Upon returning from hip surgery, Thomas was outfitted with the Nike Kobe A.D. Mighty IT PE. When not in the A.D. mid model, Thomas has opted for the Nike Zoom Kobe IV that originally released in December 2008.
With the Lakers wearing their “Icon” uniforms, previously known as their home yellows, Thomas was in the “POP” version of the Kobe IV, which was debuted for the 2009 NBA playoffs and has yet to see another release.
All was going well in his return to Sacramento, until the fourth quarter when Thomas blew out the sole of his left shoe.
The moment was captured by Twitter user CJ Zero:
Isaiah Thomas suffers a sole separation on his Kobes pic.twitter.com/EcR4ZzGGDz
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) February 25, 2018
Thomas didn’t spend much time on the bench, as he switched to a Kobe A.D. mid PE that he previously wore during a practice.
In his postgame interview that aired on Spectrum SportsNet, Thomas credited Lakers equipment manager Carlos Maples for quickly fetching two options upon learning of the situation.
Thomas finished with 17 points, two rebounds and four assists. He contributed to the team setting a season-high with 17 3-pointers, and made all four free throws to help the Lakers ice the game down the stretch.