Kobe Bryant’s historic NBA career saw him lace up dozens of different sneakers over his 20 years in the league. During his early years, the Black Mamba was spotted in strictly adidas silhouettes and even rocked the infamous adidas Crazy 8 during his first NBA All-Star appearance in 1998. Now, this exact pair worn by Bryant in the aforementioned game is being put up for auction via PWCC Marketplace.
This mainly black/white colorway of the Crazy 8 comes with an all-leather construction across the upper, featuring accenting hits of purple and gold that nod to the LA Lakers. These details can be found near the vamp with Kobe’s then-jersey number, “8”, stitched into the mesh tongue while the pull tabs and adidas-branded tongue tags come with a mixture of purple, white, black, and gold. Back on the heel and collar, further Three Stripes branding gets the Lakers treatment while the sockliner nearby comes in a light grey shade. Underfoot, the EVA midsole features a Torsion plate system and comes in a white/black makeup. Rounding out the design, the rubber outsole features this same white/black combo.
What makes this game-worn pair extra special, aside from being Kobe’s first All-Star game, is the fact that most fans tuned in to watch the matchup between the aging superstar Michael Jordan and a fresh-faced 19-year-old Kobe Bryant. If you’re interested in securing the pair for yourself, head over to pwccmarketplace.com and register an account to bid on Kobe's game worn adidas Crazy 8s. As of this writing, the current bid is $25,000 with the auction set to end on October 20th. Keep it locked to our Twitter and the Sole Retriever mobile app to stay updated on the raffles, releases, news, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.
Images via PWCC Marketplace
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
