In 2002 and 2003, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant found himself in sneaker purgatory, fresh off his deal with adidas and searching for a new home. He used his “free agency” period to test out several brands, including And1, Reebok and Nike. However, the biggest splash Kobe made in the sneaker world was with a series of Air Jordan player exclusives in 2003. In addition to Air Jordan Retro 7 and Retro 8 player exclusives, Kobe was blessed with these Laker-colored Retro 3s.The Kobe Retro 3 player exclusive features a white leather upper, with cement grey elephant print wrapped around the toe and heel. Purple works the top lace eyelet and midsole, while gold hits the footbed, tongue padding, lower lace eyelets, Jumpman branding on the tongue and sections of the outsole. White finishes what purple started on the midsole, and sits above a predominantly grey rubber outsole.
What do you think of this pair? Would you have rather seen the Jordan Brand release these instead of bringing back the “Cement” and “True Blue” colorways next year? Via Sole Collector
