Lights Out
Kobe's first signature shoe made by Nike that bears his name but will it go for 81 or a bunch of bricks?
81 points.My best friend used to do that to me when we played NBA Live 05 jumpstopping me to death with Phoenix and Shawn Marion.I'll be honest I was never a big Kobe fan.I always knew he was gonna be a star even though he air balled those threes against Utah.But in the 2005/2006 season I had plenty of chances to watch Kobe in action after moving to Toronto.I remember the night of January 22nd 2006 I was watching the Lakers losing to the Toronto Raptors with Kobe having an ok first half but not really getting off I figured Kobe would score 40 and the Lakers would lose. So I let the wife take over the tv and we started to watch any number of reality shows after about 15 minutes I stole the remote back and changed it back to the game and my jaw literally dropped.Kobe scored 27 in the third quarter.I promptly said we can't change it back to the Apprentice were watching history.I think the wife was more upset that the Raptors couldn't seem to stop Kobe from shooting and resorting to yelling at future coach of the year Sam Mitchell for doing nothing but shaking his head.Jumpshots,reverse layups,dunks,deep three pointers not a jumpstop and dunk with a player with a 99 dunk rating.Whats cool is he did it wearing these..well not this color but he did something else pretty cool in this colorway.
figure1
Note the phylon lateral teeth and outrigger which add support on those quick cuts to the basket.
81 points.My best friend used to do that to me when we played NBA Live 05 jumpstopping me to death with Phoenix and Shawn Marion.I'll be honest I was never a big Kobe fan.I always knew he was gonna be a star even though he air balled those threes against Utah.But in the 2005/2006 season I had plenty of chances to watch Kobe in action after moving to Toronto.I remember the night of January 22nd 2006 I was watching the Lakers losing to the Toronto Raptors with Kobe having an ok first half but not really getting off I figured Kobe would score 40 and the Lakers would lose. So I let the wife take over the tv and we started to watch any number of reality shows after about 15 minutes I stole the remote back and changed it back to the game and my jaw literally dropped.Kobe scored 27 in the third quarter.I promptly said we can't change it back to the Apprentice were watching history.I think the wife was more upset that the Raptors couldn't seem to stop Kobe from shooting and resorting to yelling at future coach of the year Sam Mitchell for doing nothing but shaking his head.Jumpshots,reverse layups,dunks,deep three pointers not a jumpstop and dunk with a player with a 99 dunk rating.Whats cool is he did it wearing these..well not this color but he did something else pretty cool in this colorway.
figure1Note the phylon lateral teeth and outrigger which add support on those quick cuts to the basket.
At first glance the shoe looks extremely simple and hardly worthy of the status of a signature shoe.Taking cues from the Nike Zoom Huarache 2k4 and 2k5 the shoe manages to provide a handmade feel with the contrast stitching and excellent performance with heel and forefoot zoom air and a full length carbon fiber spring plate that cups your heel and provides excellent support.The lateral side of the shoe features Nike free inspired phylon "teeth" which also provide support for lateral movement.The heel and forefoot zoom air provide excellent a responsive "low to the ground" feel.
figure2
multidirectional herringbone pattern
figure2multidirectional herringbone pattern
Figure2 shows off the Zoom Kobe 1's excellent rubber outsole which provides excellent traction on almost any type of court.I play on a court that is inside an elementary school which is tile and dirty from kids bringing mud and dirt in all day.It can be more described as ice skating than basketball.I have never once missed a beat whenever I brought out the Zoom Kobe 1's out to play.The herringbone traction is excellent and there is plenty of surface area for the outsole to come into contact with the floor.The outsole is very wide and also has an outrigger which provides extra stability when moving laterally.Also partially visible from the bottom is the carbon fiber support.
figure3Kobe's logo is visible on the tongue.Inspired by the "black mamba" sword in the movie "Kill Bill"
The shoe used a padded collar rather than the ankle straps used in the previous Zoom huarache 2k4 and 2k5.This in my opinion keeps the shoe from performing to it's full potential.The lacing system while solid is also part of the problem by not allowing the wearer to really sinch in the laces and lockdown their foot.This flaw will be really noticeable to those with feet on the narrow side as the shoe is cut a bit on the wide side.Some foot movement will happen even though the laces are tightened.the use of a strap rather than a padded collar possibly could have remedied the problem.While midfoot support is excellent the shoe lacks optimum ankle support.Decent but not outstanding.It has an internal lining for a seamless fit.
figure4Overall the Nike Zoom Kobe 1 is a dream to play in.Its simplistic design is beautiful and it is an excellent "first" Nike signature shoe for Kobe.I actually really enjoyed taking pictures of the shoe and has quickly become one of my all time favorites.While the shoe has some flaws it is an excellent performer and if anything is just simply beautiful to look at.
Comfort and Fit-4.5/5
Comfort and Fit-4.5/5
Ankle Support-3.5/5
Traction-5/5
Overall-4.5/5
One more thing I mentioned above that Kobe did something pretty cool in this colorway and while yes Nash was voted MVP and yes the Suns won the series..but this was just cool.
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