{"id":401584,"date":"2014-08-29T15:02:24","date_gmt":"2014-08-29T20:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=401584"},"modified":"2019-01-03T04:17:55","modified_gmt":"2019-01-03T09:17:55","slug":"kobe-black-mamba-youre-welcome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/kobe-black-mamba-youre-welcome\/","title":{"rendered":"A History of Nike Kobe Signatures Inspired by China"},"content":{"rendered":"

The passionate people of China place a premium on winning, since the country is often considered to contain an extremely cohesive culture. Team success is the standard across the water, but the leader still stands in the limelight. With five NBA Championships to his name, Kobe Bryant<\/strong><\/a> has long been one of the most popular basketball players in China, and his signature sneaker line with Nike has consistently celebrated the connection. Aside from the secondary Nike Kobe Dream Season<\/em> and Venomenon<\/em> series that were originally created exclusively for the overseas market, the Black Mamba’s premier signatures have continuously been cooked up in special edition “China” colorways. From the early Nike Kobe I through III for the culture that sported Lakers colors to the later style codes that celebrate the Chinese Zodiac, Kobe’s kicks have always celebrated his annual tours overseas.<\/p>\n

In anticipation of the latest from the line that releases tomorrow, the Nike Kobe 9 EM “China”<\/strong>, we take a look back at Kobe’s entire Swoosh signature series that drew inspiration from China. Scroll and click through to get a full rundown, and stay with Snkrs Day for everything sneakers.<\/p>\n

Nike Kobe I<\/h1>\n

Model:<\/strong> Nike Kobe I China Edition PE<\/p>\n

Kobe Bryant’s first Swoosh signature sneaker affiliated with China came a full two years after the Nike Kobe I<\/strong> was first debuted. In a random release in 2008, this China Edition PE<\/strong> came out of nowhere and dropped only overseas in a Lakers white and purple color combination, finished off with the Black Mamba’s new number “24” on the heel.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nike Kobe II<\/h1>\n

Model:<\/strong> Nike Kobe II Asian Exclusive<\/p>\n

The only Kobe Bryant signature without a direct connection to China is his second sneaker with the brand, the Nike Zoom Kobe II<\/strong>. Although this black and purple Lakers look doesn’t have clear Chinese affiliation, it dropped as an Asian Exclusive with snakeskin embossed on the toe box.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nike Kobe III<\/h1>\n

Model:<\/strong> Nike Kobe III “Purple Reign” China Edition PE<\/p>\n

Once again easing the Black Mamba’s line into the culture of China, his third signature sneaker followed suit and maintained a Lakers color composition on the Nike Kobe III China Edition PE<\/strong>. This Chinese concoction also holds major historical weight stateside, as it was the player edition that Kobe Bryant was wearing when he hit the 20,000-point<\/strong> plateau in Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n Image via Sole Collector<\/a>\n

<\/p>\n

Nike Kobe IV<\/h1>\n

Models:<\/strong> Nike Kobe IV “Matador”, Nike Kobe IV “Chinese Ceramic” Custom<\/p>\n

The Nike Kobe IV was a trailblazer. Not only did it popularize low-top basketball sneakers across the board, it debuted the red and gold color composition that is now affiliated with the Black Mamba’s “China” signatures. The ultra-limited Nike Kobe IV “Matador”<\/strong> led the charge with a black Swoosh and ice blue outsole to go along with its all-red base and gold detailing. Another version of KB’s fourth shoe has notable Chinese roots, as a fan presented the “Ceramic” Nike Kobe IV Custom<\/strong>, as seen below, to the man himself during his 2009 tour overseas after the Lakers won the NBA Championship.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nike Kobe V<\/h1>\n

Model:<\/strong> Nike Kobe V “China”<\/p>\n

Kobe Bryant’s fifth shoe in his signature series was the first to officially take on the “China” label. The Nike Kobe V “China”<\/strong> continued the red and yellow color composition as the unofficial team shoe for the Chinese National Team in the 2010 world games, but this pioneer was also the first China-inspired shoe to release in the United States.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nike Kobe VI<\/h1>\n

Model:<\/strong> Nike Kobe VI “China”<\/p>\n

Arguably the most popular China-inspired Black Mamba makeup to date is the Nike Kobe VI “China.”<\/strong> This cool grey and white design featured a purple Swoosh and inner lining, and was finished off with a popping Kobe logo on the tongue in red. Marking the second-straight year that the “China” Kobe released to the general public across the globe, this scaly sneaker is still one of the most sought-after style codes from the line.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nike Kobe VII<\/h1>\n

Model:<\/strong> Nike Kobe VII “Year of the Dragon”<\/p>\n

Diving deeper into the country’s culture and using more then just the “China” nickname, the Nike Kobe VII was the first Black Mamba signature to draw inspiration from the Chinese Zodiac. Bryant’s personal pair for the 2012 season honored the calendar and produced the Nike Kobe VII “Year of the Dragon”<\/strong>, which featured a bright red, teal and yellow color composition with dragons on the year’s representative on the back heels.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nike Kobe 8<\/h1>\n

Models:<\/strong> Nike Kobe 8 “Year of the Horse”, Nike Kobe 8 “Year of the Snake” Collection<\/p>\n

Kobe Bryant’s eighth signature sneaker was a staple in two different calendar years, and in turn took the Chinese Zodiac to another level. 2013 was the “Year of the Snake”<\/strong>, and correlating with KB’s “Black Mamba” nickname, Nike put out a special Nike Kobe 8 EXT Collection<\/strong> that included three different colorways, as seen below. Then to kick off 2014, which is now the “Year of the Horse”<\/strong>, the brand in Beaverton again utilized the above Kobe 8 silhouette in China’s traditional red and yellow color combination.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nike Kobe 9<\/h1>\n

Model:<\/strong> Nike Kobe 9 EM “China”<\/p>\n

The latest from the line to draw inspiration from China is this weekend’s Nike Kobe 9 EM<\/strong> release. This premium pair is set in the country’s traditional red tone, with gold accents on the Swoosh and speckled midsole. Further detailing comes in the form of embroidered Chinese graphics on the tongue to finish off overseas-inspired signature that is set to make a widespread release tomorrow, August 30th<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Source: Freshness<\/a>, SN<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The passionate people of China place a premium on winning, since the country is often considered to contain an extremely…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4655,"featured_media":401758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[618,1224791,1225493,1219126],"tags":[1203927,1204857],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA History of Nike Kobe Signatures Inspired by China | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kobe Bryant has always been big in China, and so have his signature sneakers with Nike. See all of the China-inspired Nike Kobe shoes here.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/kobe-black-mamba-youre-welcome\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/kobe-black-mamba-youre-welcome\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A History of Nike Kobe Signatures Inspired by China\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kobe Bryant has always been big in China, and so have his signature sneakers with Nike. 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