Kobe Bryant helped to revolutionize basketball footwear by popularizing low-top sneakers in his signature Nike line. Yet prior to signing with the Swoosh, the late NBA legend was aligned with competitor Adidas, which was doing some experimenting of its own on Bryant’s signature shoes.
One such experiment was the Adidas The Kobe line. An even more inventive sequel of its predecessor, the Adidas The Kobe, Bryant’s eponymous Adidas sneakers were inspired by automobiles. But the Adidas The Kobe and The Kobe 2 weren’t merely inspired by vehicles, they were a full-on collaboration with German automotive manufacturer Audi.
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Taking notes from the Audi TT Roadster model, which was a Southern California icon at the time (much like Bryant himself), the blocky shape and futuristic design of the Adidas The Kobe line was too avant-garde for some consumers.
“What I think has made this work is Kobe’s desire, willingness and insistence on having something unique to basketball and specific to him,” the late industry veteran Peter Moore, who was creative director of the Adidas The Kobe line, told Automotive Intelligence in 2000. ”What was different about the Audi approach to this project is why they succeeded. They did not try to design basketball shoes. They never concerned themselves with normal, traditional footwear concerns.”
In hindsight, the Adidas The Kobe 2 could have benefited from being more traditional at the time. It alienated consumers and ultimately contributed to pushing Bryant away from the brand. And yet the metallic model, with its hidden laces and molded upper, may have finally landed in its rightful era.
Now known as the Adidas Crazy 2.0, the sneaker’s Metallic/Core Black/Onix (style code JH9679) has just been released via Adidas’ e-commerce store and select Adidas Originals retailers for a retail price of $160. The model arrived with little warning; there were no social media teasers or Confirmed app countdowns, and yet some sizes have already begun selling out. Fans who are interested in a piece of Bryant history which may have arrived ahead of its time won’t wait to wait for a chance to pick these up.