History is not kind to Kobe’s last adidas signature shoe. Obviously, the shoe did not match Kobe’s expectations, as he left the three stripes shortly after the launch of The Kobe 2. Aesthetically, people have compared the adidas The Kobe 2 to moon shoes and even a toaster and is often placed on lists of the ugliest sneakers of all time. This is also brought up as Kobe’s worst signature style, as the shoes hit clearance racks and even then, customers complained about how the upper creased badly.
The KOBE 2 was meant to have the Audi look of its predecessor, but sleeker and with more of a resemblance to a car. Performance-wise, the shoes were lower to the ground, was wider, and featured a more rigid TORSION plate to improve stability. The eccentric upper also helped provide a better fit.
While Bryant himself rocked the KOBE 2 during the 2002 All-Star game (in which he won his first of many AS MVP awards), he chose to revert back to the original KOBE model on the grandest stage in the NBA Finals.
Years after Kobe Bryant had left for Nike, adidas had started capitalizing on nostalgia by retroing his sneakers, replacing the “Kobe” moniker with “Crazy.” For instance, the KOBE 1 was now the Crazy 1. The adidas brand completely skipped the KOBE 2 though, instead dubbing the KB8 II as the Crazy 2.
The adidas The KOBE 2 is currently unavailable at retailers.
