Kobe Bryant Inspired His Own Adidas Ad Campaign With One Word

Kobe Bryant and Nike are synonymous with each other. He signed with the brand in 2003 and remained with them beyond retirement. However, before he signed with the American apparel giants, he spent six years as an Adidas athlete. Bryant not only became the face of the brand but also gave Gary Stokan the idea of how to market him with one quote.

During an interview with 11Alive, the Peach Bowl Inc. CEO and former Adidas executive shared anecdotes about the late, great Lakers icon. Stokan then revealed how an innocuous conversation with Bryant shaped their marketing strategy. He said,

“When I was talking to Kobe, I said, ‘How does it feel to be a teenager coming from high school into the NBA?’ And he said, ‘This is a dream.’ And so, in that global marketing campaign, I used that dream theme in the commercial to launch him. Because it was a dream.”  

Bryant’s first commercial as an Adidas athlete was for their Elevation EQT sneaker. In it, the young guard is seen sitting underneath a plastic cover in the rain with several other players at a pickup game, telling them the moves he’d pull off if the drizzle hadn’t paused their match. As he’s boasting about what he’d do on the court, the scene cuts to him pulling off moves exactly as he describes.

Bryant’s time with Adidas was a dream for the brand. He helped the Lakers win three NBA titles and established himself as one of the game’s best players sporting their shoes. However, the guard wasn’t as pleased with them as they were with him. It led to an ugly divorce followed by the superstar handing the brand the ultimate blow.

Kobe Bryant’s exit from Adidas

By 2002, Bryant had been with Adidas for six years. However, their relationship had waned as the Lakers superstar had little creative control over his shoe. The release of the Kobe IIs was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The guard felt uncomfortable on the court in the shoes and reportedly even switched to the Kobe Is during the 2001 NBA Finals due to the discomfort the sneakers caused. It also sold poorly, which irked Bryant more, as he had little input on the design.

He eventually lost patience with Adidas and paid them $8 million to release himself from his contract with them. Per the rules of the dissolution of his deal, the Lakers superstar wasn’t allowed to sign another shoe brand for a year.

When the embargo expired, Bryant pierced a knife through Adidas’ chest and signed a four-year, $40 million deal with Nike, their biggest competitor. Bryant spent the rest of his career donning The Swoosh, and even got his signature line, aptly called ‘Mamba.’

It remains one of Nike’s most popular shoe lines. Adidas got its own Michael Jordan, 12 years after fumbling the original. However, they messed up their shot at redemption and haven’t recovered since.