July 1st 2023.
Nike recently announced their plan to relaunch the Kobe line of shoes on August 24th, 2023, a date that holds special significance to the sneaker community as it contains the two numbers Kobe Bryant wore during his playing days. This came as a surprise to many, as Nike's deal with the late Hall of Famer had expired in 2021 and his widow, Vanessa Bryant, had not agreed to a new deal with Nike before it ended.
In March of 2022, Mrs. Bryant released a statement announcing that she was excited to partner with Nike again in order to make Kobe and Gigi Nike products available to fans for years to come. She also mentioned that Nike would be donating 100 percent of the net proceeds from Gianna's shoes to their Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.
Kobe and his daughter, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, lost their lives tragically in a plane crash in January of 2020, along with John Altobeli, Keri Altobeli, Alyssa Altobeli, Payton Chester, Sara Chester, Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan. Despite this, the Kobe line of shoes continues to be one of the most popular shoes for NBA players to wear, with comfort and shoe design cited as factors in their choice. PJ Tucker, a forward with the Philadelphia 76ers, has been one of the players leading the charge on that front, and his player edition versions of Kobe Brand shoes have taken the internet by storm over the last few years.
Shoe collectors like Darryl Glover have said that the death of the basketball luminary has had a huge impact on the shoe market domestically, and many have struggled to get their hands on Kobe releases. Despite this, Nike has continued to use a distribution model of scarcity for the shoes, essentially inflating their value by decreasing their availability to the public. This is something that the Bryant family is not a fan of.
Collector Matt Powell believes that Nike's relaunching of the Kobe line is an attempt to increase sales, and he feels that if Nike increases the units it sells, it could backfire. He believes that if Nike keeps the quantities relatively tight, it would help support the resale market and ensure consumer interest in the shoes remains high.
It will be interesting to see how the relaunch of the Kobe line affects the shoe market domestically, and what impact it has on Nike's business.
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