Kobe Bryant paid $8 million to cut ties with Adidas and even made a journalist “throw away” his sweatsuit 

Kobe Bryant’s fallout with Adidas was bitter, to say the least. He even refused to take interviews with journalists if they wore Adidas gear. 

The man, the myth, the legend, Kobe Bryant, it’s his 44th birth anniversary today, and safe to say we miss him dearly. So, what better way to honor him than to pull out a story that depicts him at his best, or rather, petty best?

Yes, all competitive athletes are sore losers, this is a fact. Kobe was no different. He wouldn’t talk to his teammates if they lost a game, so we can expect him to be equally petty if a brand refuses to pay him his worth.

His fallout with Adidas was nothing short of catastrophic, he even paid the brand $8 million from his own pocket to end his deal. The reason? Well, his second signature sneaker, the Kobe 2s was so badly received by everyone, that Bryant didn’t want anything to do with it.

He was so displeased with the brand that even years later when he finally signed for Nike, he wanted nothing to do with that brand. Journalist Marc Spears found out about this the hard way.

Also read: 11-year-old Kobe Bryant had a crucial conversation with his father, altering his basketball journey

Marc J. Spears on the time Kobe Bryant made him agree to throw away his adidas sweatsuit before he gave him an interview. @MarcJSpears @espn @TheUndefeated #KJLive (full episode dropping soon) pic.twitter.com/YpTInBZINg

— Kris Johnson (@PointForwardPro) September 24, 2021

Kobe Bryant made Marc Spears throw away his Adidas sweatsuit after falling out with the brand

So, the story goes, Marc Spears came to interview Kobe and the Lakers legend’s first reaction was to point out that Spears was wearing Adidas.

Not happy with what he saw, he told Spears to take it off immediately, but since the latter didn’t have a spare change of clothes, Kobe agreed to do the interview, on one condition.

Marc had to go home, throw away his Adidas sweatsuit and shoes, record himself while doing it and send the video to Kobe. He obliged.

Talk about petty. Of course, this is Kobe Bryant we’re talking about. Pettiness was like his second nature. The man lived and breathe to compete.

Looking back at his life, all we can think of is how he exemplified living through competition. Marc recently narrated this story on ESPN and you check out the video below.

Also read: Kobe Bryant footed $22,000 bill for this ‘Rockets rookie’ at a fancy nightclub in LA