Almost all NBA players are backed by one or the other sneaker company. But only a handful have shoe lines named after them, fewer have popular lines that sell for tens or hundreds of millions of dollars worth of merchandise annually, and even fewer remain popular when they retire. In the 1990s, a handful of WNBA stars had shoe deals, including Sheryl Swoopes, the first female athlete to own a signature basketball sneaker.
Nike clearly believed that Bryant’s appeal extended until his retirement, and signed him to a new five-year deal on the day of his last NBA game: April 13, 2016. Bryant played his last season in the Kobe 11s, the 11th edition of his sneaker line. . . After his retirement, Nike released a new line of sneakers in the style of Kobe AD, or anno Domini, the Latin phrase meaning ‘in the year of the Lord’.
Nike’s Jordan brand, and the continuous release of Air Jordan sneakers, remains quite popular, but as everyday fashion footwear; NBA players rarely wear Air Jordans in games these days. Bryant tried to retire and Nike released Bryant ‘protro’ shoes: retro Bryant shoes updated with modern professional performance features.
While popular with basketball players, Bryant’s sneakers weren’t always the most popular off the court, worn with jeans or sweatshirt.
Before Bryant’s death, the market for his shoes was fairly niche, said Chad Jones, the co-founder of Another Lane, a marketplace for sneaker collectors. “In terms of performance, many top athletes loved Kobe shoes, but in terms of fashion, it really is the predictor of how well it will sell to the masses,” said Jones.
Nike hasn’t signed Bryant to what is basically a lifetime contract, as it has done with Jordan and James, raising questions about how much lasting value it saw in its name. The Kobe shoes NBA players wore were often limited editions or unique colors that the average consumer couldn’t buy, which partly explains why their popularity on the pitch didn’t necessarily translate into street popularity.