Kobe Bryant’s legacy extends well beyond the hardwood. Kobe was known to take great passion and commitment in every endeavor he undertook. With such a mindset, the results were guaranteed to be spellbinding. His shoe line with Nike was no different. A favorite throughout the league, the Kobes’ are by far one of the best, if not the best indoor line of basketball shoes. That being said the shoe line has always found itself in controversy. Last March, Nike and Kobe’s wife Vanessa Bryant signed a new lifetime deal for the shoe line. The deal was highly publicized, as Vanessa wanted to take the line in a ‘new direction.’ Another issue that plagued the deal was finding a ‘new face’ for the line. With many inside Nike hinting at DeMar DeRozan as a possible replacement. The idea was quickly shot down by Vanessa in a now-deleted Instagram post.
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Despite the comments from Vanessa, DeMar recently came out on the show Podcast P with Paul George and crowned himself the ‘King’ of the line.
DeMar DeRozan talks about being the ‘The King of Kobe’s’
DeRozan is undoubtedly the current ‘king of the mid-range.’ A student of Kobe, DeRozan has always represented the Kobe line since the beginning of his career. The six-time All-Star has even claimed to have the largest private collection of Kobes’ in the league.
Deebo was also a recent guest on the show ‘Podcast P’ hosted by Pacers legend and NBA All-Star Paul George. While on the show DeMar shed light on the situation surrounding the Kobe line. While talking on the issue DeRozan said:
“I got more Kobes’ than anyone else in the league. I can guarantee that. When they gave me my PE( Player Exclusives), they allowed me to design a few Kobes’. When Kobe was out because of injuries, he didn’t get the opportunity to display a few Kobes. I was the first player to wear a lot of them in the matches.”
DeMar did in fact debut a lot of the shoes in the line such as the Kobe 9 High-tops and the Kobe Proto 6 ‘Sunset.’ He even signed a new four-year deal with Nike back in August 2022.
Vanessa Bryant disputes claims of DeRozan being the ‘face’ of the Kobe line
The entire world may consider DeRozan as the ‘face’ of the Kobe line, but Deebo is yet to get Vanessa’s blessings. In the wake of DeRozan signing a new deal with Nike, The Athletic’s, Shams Charania broke the news of DeMar becoming the new ‘face’ of the Kobe line. Vanessa shot the claims down in a now-deleted Instagram post. Addressing the issue, Vanessa wrote:
“False. He is not the face of the Kobe line. No one is. Love that he’s a Kobe supporter but the caption is false. It’s misinformation. Only Kobe is the face of his line. If that changes in the future, then I’m sure Nike and I will release a statement announcing it.”
Despite the statement, DeMar has still been vocal about his love for Kobe and the shoe line. DeMar continues to debut many ‘exclusive’ colorways of the line, often leaving even ‘NBA players’ and sneakerheads dumbstruck.
