Sneakers - November 14, 2016

Air Jordan 9 Kobe Bryant Lakers PE

Jordan Brand is taking a trip down memory lane that every sneakerhead will appreciate with the Air Jordan 9 Kobe Bryant PE. This Los Angeles Lakers inspired colorway of the AJ9 was originally worn by Kobe during his “sneaker free agency” season back in 2002-2003.

Kobe Bryant had already locked up two NBA Championship titles with the Lakers and had a solid run of basketball shoes from adidas featuring the famous “Feet You Wear” technology but the Mamba’s 2002-2003 NBA season could arguably go down as the best season any player in history has ever had when it comes to sneakers. After “amicably” parting ways with adidas, who had just signed Tracy McGrady and was aggressively pursuing LeBron James, Kobe began to test the waters with a handful of brands. Throughout the 2002-2003 season Kobe laced up iconic shoes like the Converse Weapon, Nike Air Force 1, And1 Game Time, Reebok Answer, Reebok Question, Concord Jordan 11s, and many more. What made most of the sneakers Kobe wore that season different than others were the player exclusive colorways that brands were making just for him. Every brand wanted to sign Kobe, who wouldn’t? The Air Jordan 9 was one of those PEs offered up by Jordan Brand. The pair that Kobe wore back then featured his #8 on the heel–remember this was pre-number change–and the iconic purple and yellow of the Los Angeles Lakers (official colorway is White/Concord-Tour Yellow). The Kobe Air Jordan 9 will feature the same colors with MJ’s traditional #23 on the heel. The Kobe Bryant Air Jordan 9 Retro drops November 19th at Jordan Brand retailers across the country.