Kobe Bryant has always had great shoes in his locker—be it the Kobe 1 or the Kobe Barcelonas—and every iteration of his shoe has had pretty unique color schemes. One of the most famous shoes from his deal with Nike is the Christmas Day sneakers, dubbed the Grinches.

Advertisement

Coming in a primarily lime green upper with scales resembling a Mamba, the shoe had red hits all around and was released during the Christmas season. The fans took to it like fish to water because they fell in love with them immediately. It came with cutting-edge technology because Kobe only demanded the best.

And they delivered because it came with Zoom technology and great traction, which meant that it could be worn on all types of courts. With Nike still working to address the Kobe estate’s concerns about producing new Nike sneakers bearing his name, it appears that the new LeBron James sneakers are based on the design philosophy used in Kobes.

Advertisement

Also Read: “Girl Had Accused Kobe Bryant of Assaulting Her”: When Shaquille O’Neal Offered His Home to Mamba but Was Ghosted

LeBron 20s have been received well – maybe because they have throwback bits from the Kobes, or they’re happy to see a wearable shoe from Bron

For the first time in 8 years, the LeBron sneaker lineup looks like a shoe again. Before this, they all looked like a big block worn only by the heaviest of players to protect their feet. A workman’s boot looked better than the futuristic moon boots Nike made for the Lakers superstar.

And then the LeBron 20s came out, and everyone was surprised. They looked so clean, and the first color that Nike released, was an instant hit. The latest Christmas colorway seems to be generating a buzz too because they sport many elements from the Kobe Grinches. Maybe the fans do want this shoe because they cannot afford the crazy expensive Mamba shoes now.

Also Read: 6ft 10″ Kevin Garnett Once Called Kobe Bryant ‘Grizzly Bear’ Revealing Intriguing Reason Behind It

Advertisement

NBA Twitter has only one thing to say about the new Christmas colorway – they look like Kobes

Uncanny resemblance – that is the only thing certain fans can say because it is the truth. They look like someone ordered the shoe from wish.com and got these instead.

These do look great for Christmas time and are much better than the other holiday offerings from the past, but some fans still think these are the best shoes for the holidays. Maybe this one fan forgets that Derrick Rose has the best Christmas shoe of all time, and it is not even close.

Nike has been cracking down on illegal policies, but are hypocrites themselves. They have factories exploiting children in third-world countries and are “inspired” by their work. Now that they cannot sell Kobes openly, they’ve shifted their colors to Bron.

LeBron James has a hit on his hands, based on initial impressions. But blatantly copying their older work, and calling it new? That is low.

Also Read: Kobe Bryant Olympic Medals were an overlooked part of his legacy

Advertisement