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USC Trojans Football Team Wearing Kobe Cleats For UCLA Game At Rose Bowl

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Nike Kobe 6 cleats, USC Trojans
USC Trojans revealed they will wear Nike Kobe 6 Black Mamba Grinch cleats for their crosstown rivalry football game against the UCLA Bruins on Nov. 23, 2024. Photo by USC Trojans

The USC Trojans football team plans to pay tribute to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant when they take the field Saturday against the UCLA Bruins for their annual crosstown rivalry game.

USC revealed players will be outfitted in a Nike Vapor Edge Kobe 6 “USC” cleat that draws inspiration from one of his most famous signature shoes. USC’s custom Kobe cleats are an all-black look with white laces, gold spikes, and cardinal Swoosh that’s outlined in gold.

The Trojans’ new cleats are an ode to the famous Nike Kobe 6 Grinch shoe that Bryant wore on Christmas Day in 2010.

Vanessa Bryant has previously gifted custom Kobe shoes to both the men’s and women’s basketball teams with USC being among the universities signed with Nike.

There’s been growing popularity with wearing cleats that are either inspired from the sneaker from another sport or converting the actual shoe for the football field. Several MLB players, including Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas, often wear basketball shoes with cleats added onto them.

Earlier this year, Houston Texans receiver Stefon Diggs wore cleats inspired by Nike Kobe 5.

The Trojans are looking to tap into some of Bryant’s spirit as they have endured a disappointing inaugural season in the Big Ten conference but are still one win away from becoming bowl eligible.

Similarly, UCLA needs to win each of their final two games to qualify as well.

Kobe Grinch history

Bryant first debuted the Nike Zoom Kobe 6 Grinch against LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Christmas Day 2010. The all-green shoe incorporated a snakeskin texture to pull from Bryant’s “Black Mamba” persona.

Nike released Kobe 6 Grinch protro in December 2020 for the 10th anniversary of the original shoe, and an all-red version — “reverse grinch” — in December 2023.

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By Matthew Moreno
Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com