It Has Taken Me Up Until Now To Fully Appreciate The Talent That Is Mr. Kobe Bryant. I Will Admit That The Comparisons To The Great Michael Jordan Always Threw Me Off As I Believed It Was Way To Early For The Young Superstar To Fill Up Those Enormous Shoes Left By The 6' 6" Shooting Guard From North Carolina . What I Don't Think People Realize Is That Not Only Did Mr. Jordan Change The Game Of Basketball, But He Also Completed The Launch Of Streetwear As A Mainstream Category In The Fashion World. Jordan and Nike Went Against The Grain Creating A Shoe That Not Only Was Functional On The Basketball Court But That Was Also A Great Accessory To The Everyday Clothing Being Worn In The Urban Community. The Design Of Nike Air Jordans In Addition To The Colors That The Shoes Were Offered In Set The Fashion and Sneaker World On Fire, Making It Possible For Stores Like Sneak Peek To Exist.
In Certain Instances I Feel That Kobe Has Reached Mr. Jordan's Level Of Supremacy In The Game Of Basketball But He Is Far Far Far From Duplicating What the Global Icon Did As A Businessman With Nike, Gatorade, McDonald's, Wheaties, etc. This Is Where I Really Believe The Jordan Legacy Can Never Be Touched (Except For By Tiger Woods). There Is No Way That Another Michael Jordan Will Ever Exist As Both The Greatest Basketball Player and The Greatest Salesman/ Endorser. This Is By No Fault Of Their Own But The Growth Of The Internet and Networks Dedicated To Athletics Like Sportscenter Has Made Professional Athletes Human. We See That They Make Mistakes, We See They Have Bad Games, We See That They Behave Badly At Times, Etc. I Think This Was Part Of The Fascination With Jordan, He Seemed To Be Great At Everything He Did, Never Really Having A Hiccup On His Resume.
10 Years Ago Kobe Seemed On The Road To Not Only Match Jordan's Superstardom But Surpass It Because Of His Youth (Check The Adidas Commercial Below).
Jordan Made It Possible For Sneaker Companies, Restaurant Chains, etc. To Put Major Dollars Behind These Athletes, Creating Personalized Advertising Campaigns Displaying The Athlete and The Products They Endorsed. That All Came To A Stop For Kobe In 2003 After Being Accused Of Sexually Assaulting A 19 Year Old Woman In Eagle, Colorado. The Trail Never Made It To Court (They Settled A Civil Lawsuit and The Case Was Later Dropped) But Kobe's Reputation Was Tarnished, At Least As A Advertising Giant. For The Next 4-5 Years Kobe Seemed To Go Into Hiding, Doing Little To No Work For Nike, Sprite, McDonalds, Instead Concentrating On Basketball. Kobe Returned To Basketball Supremacy Winning The NBA's Most Value Player Honor For The 2007-2008 Season and Winning His Fourth NBA Championship In 2009.
Last Year Nike Began To Run TV Advertising Featuring Kobe As A Puppet (No Pun Intended) Along With Fellow NBA Superstar LeBron James.
Once Again Focusing Attention On The Products Worn By The Great Basketball Player. While It Took Some Time and Some Tough Lessons It Would Seem That Kobe Has Made A Complete Turn Around and Is Now The Lovable Athlete We All Got To Know In The Late 90's and Early 2000's. The Print Advertisement Shown Above (For The Nike Zoom Kobe V) Would Really Mark Kobe's Complete Return For Nike As It Is Not Only Displays His Likeness But It Is Actual Photography Of Kobe and Not A Puppet. The Ads Are Apart of Kobe's Tribute To Deceased Martial Arts Fighter Bruce Lee. The Colorway and "Four Scratch Emblem" Displayed On This Version Of The Kobe V Are Modeled After The Jumpsuit Worn By Lee During His Fight Scene Featuring Laker Great Kareem Abdul Jabbar and A Wound Lee Suffered During A Fight Scene With The Lead Villain.
Big Ups To Kobe For Making This Huge Comeback. It Really Says A Lot About Him As A Person and A Basketball Player That He Was Able To Accomplish All He Has Despite The Circumstances. These Are No Jordans and Don't Cross Any Barriers Off The Court But Its A Step In The Right Direction. Enjoy and Until We Speak Again PEACE.
To View More Pics From Kobe x Bruce Lee Nike Zoom Kobe V (Click Here)
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