Devin Booker just made his first regular-season appearance at the Crypto.com Arena since the release of his signature shoes with Nike. The Suns star has already impressed basketball fans and sneakerheads with the wide range of colorways that Book 1 has to offer. He continues to do so by unveiling a special PE version of the sneaker as a tribute to Kobe Bryant.
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The shooting guard had a great start to the game, knocking down shots consistently to give the Suns an early 15-point lead by the end of the opening frame. But something else caught the attention of users on social media. Fans could only talk about the kicks that Booker had on.
Several sneaker-related accounts reported that the four-time All-Star debuted the Book 1 Kobe Bryant PEs tonight. The Purple shoes with an orange swoosh are inspired by the popular Kobe 1 Protro PE from 2018.
Devin Booker wearing a Nike Book 1 PE inspired by his Kobe 1 Protro PE ☀️
@Suns pic.twitter.com/mRpSCyYDaa
— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) October 26, 2024
D-Book has always been a huge fan of Bryant’s signature shoes from Nike. Before having his own signature line, Booker was mostly donning different versions of the Kobe 4 Protros. He has admitted to taking inspiration from Nike’s Kobes for his shoe, particularly the low-top design.
However, these shoes aren’t the only pair that Booker has worn as a homage to the legendary player. Phoenix’s leader previously wore a different pair of Kobe 4-inspired Book 1. The Purple shoes also had the Black Mamba’s iconic message “Be Legendary” written on them.
Booker using various ways to pay tribute to the Hall of Famer isn’t surprising considering the impact that Bryant has had on his life.
Booker has been a die-hard Kobe Bryant fan
Booker was a huge admirer of Kobe Bryant growing up just like many youngsters around the world. He’d watch tape of the Los Angeles Lakers legend and try imitating him.
The 27-year-old was lucky to join the league the same season that was Bryant’s farewell campaign. The Suns player recorded 28 points in the only game that he played against Kobe, also clinching the win. This impressive outing led to Bryant signing “Be Legendary” on his game-worn shoes and gifting them to the youngster.
This message continues to inspire Booker to work harder.
“He is gonna live forever in this game and not even just in basketball. Just his approach to life and how he’s changed and shaped so many people. I think it’s foolish for people to give hate to somebody like me or Jayson representing one of our idols,” Booker said.
The Book 1 Kobe Bryant PE certainly won’t be the last of his acts to pay the all-time great homage.
