The sneakers of an 18-time All-Star Laker who was drafted straight out of high school apparently had a big impact on the shoes of another 18-time All-Star Laker who chose to drop out of college to accelerate his passage through the league.
For those of you who scour the home basketball reference pages, I’m going to solve the mystery: I’m talking about Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, two legends from Los Angeles’ First Ball Hall of Fame, who all two a line of signature shoes with Nike.
To commemorate James’ 20th (!) NBA season, Nike is releasing the LeBron XX. But an expert says the new shoes have more in common with Bryant’s signature line of shoes than those of the chosen one.
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In a new unboxing video, Mike D. Sykes, II of USA Today/Special Delivery gave an update on the latest installment of King James’ signature shoe and found the LeBron XX to have more than a passing resemblance to some. with the other Lakers of all time. with an offer of Nike shoes.
“The problem with these joints here is that they don’t really look like LeBrons,” Sykes said. “Every time we go to the Nike outlet, we see all these LeBron shoes and I call them ‘LeBron combat boots’, and there’s a reason for that. It’s because they’re big, thick and bulky shoes and all that. [the LeBron XX’s]… have none of these qualities. In fact, I’d say these look more like Kobe [Bryant] sneakers than LeBron sneakers. It kind of makes sense because of the whole Kobe-ification of Nike basketball.”
As Sykes writes on USA todayThe Beaverton, Oregon-based sportswear giant’s traditional Kobe sneakers are low-top, slim and aerodynamic shoes, matching the new James shoes.
Sykes also adds that with the arrival of his 20th signature shoe, James has reached ground only previously crossed by current basketball GOAT, Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. It’s quite an achievement for LBJ, who continued to play at a high level until his supposed NBA drivel.