One of the longest sneaker lines in the industry could end after Nike and Kobe Bryant’s estate failed to reach an agreement on a new deal this month. Complex and later confirmed by Nike. Bryant’s Nike deal expired on April 13, 2021, exactly five years on the day his 60-point performance gave an exclamation point to a Hall of Fame career.
Bryant, who originally signed with Nike in 2003 after a long run with Adidas to start his career, signed a five-year expansion with The Swoosh in April 2016. The expansion came to an end this month and it is currently unclear what the future holds for Nike Kobe sneakers. Bryant’s distinctive line with Nike is one of the longest sneaker lines in basketball.
“Kobe Bryant has been an important part of Nike’s deep engagement with consumers,” Nike said in a statement yesterday. “He pushed us and made everyone around him better. Although our contractual relationship ended, he remains a much-loved member of the Nike family. ‘
As part of its distinctive line-up, Bryant drew 11 different models during his playing career and Nike continued to wear his sneakers long after its retirement in 2016. After Bryant’s death in January 2020, the prices of his sneakers skyrocketed on resale websites. such as StockX and GOAT. In the fourteen months since his death, Nike has released more than ten of its signature shoes with more releases until 2021.
The final release of Nike Kobe to date was the Nike Kobe 6 ‘Grinch’, which was reloaded into the Nike SNKRS app on April 13 as a commemoration of Bryant’s last NBA game with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Kobe 6 ‘Grinch’, like many of the Kobe sneakers released since his death, was one of the more sought after sneakers in Bryant’s historically successful series.
If the Bryant Estate and Nike cannot pull back and agree to a new deal, you can expect the market for its Nike sneakers to rise and the resale prices to reach a peak of the highest time.