espn: Looks Like Kobe is Back in Business

Status
Not open for further replies.
Kris Kros

Kris Kros

G-League
This probably inspired him to score 62 points. :p
ESPN said:
Updated: Dec. 22, 2005, 5:53 PM ET

Nike releases Kobe's signature shoe
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is finally getting his own Nike signature shoe, exactly halfway into a five-year, $45 million deal with the shoe and apparel giant.

A shoe called the Zoom Kobe I will appear in stores in mid-February, but Bryant will give a sneak preview of the shoe to those watching his Lakers take on the Miami Heat on Dec. 25. The shoe will also immediately appear on an extremely limited basis in select stores in the Los Angeles area the following day.

Nike will also launch Bryant's signature apparel line, which features a Bryant-inspired logo, in February, around the NBA All-Star break.

"Nike celebrates the athletic achievements of our elite competitors," said Nike spokesman Rodney Knox, in a statement. "Kobe's inclusion in marketing and promotional material is an acknowledgement of his elevated level of sports performance."

Bryant was accused of sexual assault in early July 2003 only a few weeks after the ink had dried on the contract. Charges were dropped in the criminal case and the civil suit was eventually settled. But, over a period of two years, Bryant's endorsers, including McDonald's, Nutella, Spalding and Coca-Cola, distanced themselves from him and allowed their deals to expire without renewal.

The Nike plan to bring back Kobe has been both quiet and, apparently, very calculated.

In July, they featured him in their advertising for the first time and released a sneaker with a specially created logo. The shoe wasn't Bryant's signature shoe per se, but fans could learn about the association on the shoe company's Web site.

It was a step further than what Nike had done the previous two years with the Air Huarache 2K4 and 2K5. Sneakerheads knew that this was the shoe that Bryant was wearing, though Nike officials made no public reference to that fact.

After the sexual assault allegations surfaced, some marketers said they believed that Bryant's potential as a pitchman was forever doomed. "You will never see Kobe do another TV commercial," advertising guru Donnie Deutsch said at the time.

Deutsch told NBC's Today Show in November that he still thinks Nike is making the wrong decision by using Bryant.

But the data isn't all negative on Bryant. In fact, he could be the most polarizing force in all of sports marketing. An ESPN Poll released in June revealed that fans thought he was the eighth best athlete in all of sports to endorse a product. That same poll reflected that he was the worst athlete to endorse a product, ahead of the likes of Mike Tyson and O.J. Simpson.

But there's reason to believe that Bryant is still resonating with more people than statistical gurus give him credit for. He recently shot a national public service announcement for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and one source told ESPN.com that his representation is in talks with a video game company and a fast food chain.

"One of the key ingredients to Kobe's marketability is the unparalleled manner in which he competes," said his agent Rob Pelinka, who would not publicly comment on talks of any future deals. "His drive and passion are emotions that really resonate with most consumers."

Last month, the Sports Business Daily ranked Bryant as the NBA's fifth most marketable player behind LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Yao Ming and Kevin Garnett. The latest numbers from the NBA, which include jersey sales from NBA.com and the NBA Store in Manhattan, show that Bryant is the fifth most popular jersey in the league. Throughout his ordeal, he never dropped out of the league's top 10 best selling jerseys, according to stats compiled by the NBA.

Bryant had two signature shoes in the past in his previous contract with adidas. Sales of his second shoe, the KOBETWO, were disappointing. Industry insiders speculated that this was either because of Bryant's lack of "street cred" or had to do with the funky design of the shoe.

Meanwhile, Bryant's Lakers are looking like playoff contenders after missing the playoffs last year for only the fifth time in team history. He is averaging 32.5 points per game, which ranks second in the league behind Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson. Bryant scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn3.com.


Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2269056
Click to expand...
 
Sorry for some Kobe haters. I never like Kobe as an opponent for there were so many vivid sad memories of his great plays that killed our hopes for a championship. But I'm totally amazed how he was able to hurdle the tough times and resurrect his career. I believe that if that happened to other people, it will be doomsday. Again, accept my sincere apologies for those who never like to read anything about Kobe. :cool:
 
e8plih.jpg
those are ugly:(
 
Kris Kros said:
Sorry for some Kobe haters. I never like Kobe as an opponent for there were so many vivid sad memories of his great plays that killed our hopes for a championship. But I'm totally amazed how he was able to hurdle the tough times and resurrect his career. I believe that if that happened to other people, it will be doomsday. Again, accept my sincere apologies for those who never like to read anything about Kobe. :cool:
Click to expand...

::Hugz for Kobe:: :o
 
Kobe is easily the best player in the league, depending on how you measure (his position has less impact than the big man positions, so you'd still choose garnet duncan etc over him)

BUT... I always found him curiously unlikeable, even before he was a rapist. And that unlikeability factor goes beyond his being a king killer, or a laker, or whatever. If he was a king, I'd love to have him as a PLAYER, but there is no chance he'd become the one I like to root for the most, no matter how much he carried the team. And this is despite the fact that he is handsome, articulate, smart... pretty much everything you WANT to root for.

It never seems like any of his team-mates particularly like him-- and I'm not talking about the childish shaq-kobe boohoohooing, not active dislike, he just doesn't inspire feelings of "these guys are actual pals" the way the kings of a few years ago did, not with anyone. And it isn't just that he seems reserved (ala duncan or grant hill etc..) he just seems completely distinct from everyone else. He is a basketball robot that is just sort of a "tool" that the other players that are actually humans use on the court, but have no real use for otherwise. They don't neccessarily dislike "it", just why would you go out for pizza or tacos with "it"? I of course realize that this is all bs interpretations from a million miles away (I clearly don't "know" him or any other player from Adam), and I'm not trying to be literal, just articulate a definate "feeling" I have of him being unlikeable.

Shaq is the one that constantly was actively an ***, and did specific ACTIONS that were unlikeable, and frankly, he was the far bigger "king killer" of the two during the Laker's threepeat. But while intelectually I feel I "should" dislike him more, there just isn't as much of a visceral "I just simply don't like him" feeling, like I get from Kobe.

(the only other current player that I get the same sort of instant dislike for is Wally Szxckjzxkbxzkerbiac, I just don't like that guy either- without any specific actions to point to)
 
mcsluggo said:
BUT... I always found him curiously unlikeable,
Click to expand...

The media started working on him from Day 1, constantly reinforcing the things you don't appreciate about him and molding them into things you detest about him. Before we know anything about these rookies, our perceptions are shaped by the way the media introduces them to us. Before I even knew he was going to the Lakers, I found him to be a curious story and I distinctly remember how most of the media portrayed him.

His press conf at high school to announce he was entering the draft was sneered at, partly because he was wearing a silk suit with sunglasses on his forehead, and because he was confidently talking about his future plans instead of acting humble. I don't think that a lot of the "old schoolers" in the media appreciated that a high school guard was being so highly coveted in the draft over guys like Kerry Kittles who went to college. Back then, Kobe and Jermaine were only the 2nd and 3rd HSers in the draft in 30 years and Kobe was the only non-big of the trio. You could rationalize why a team would take a big high schooler, but not a skinny 2-guard (esp that high). The next thing was how his camp worked to get him past the Nets' reach in the draft (which is still complained about, while pukes like Francis and Shaq got a bye for flat refusing to play for certain teams if they drafted him). Then he didn't get any leeway for making stupid 18 year old mistakes as a rookie. Then he had the audacity to shoot airballs in Utah when his teammates were too afraid to. Etc. He's been a pariah from Day 1.

I find the saga of Kobe Bryant interesting in a car accident sort of way. I find it interesting that BSPN would post an article titled "Hog Wild" after he put up an efficient historical performance when they'd fall all over themselves if Bron or AI did it. There is clear bias against him in the media. I'd like to know if they do it out of conviction or simply because it sells to the non-Lakerfan masses. It's too bad that he got himself into the Eagle mess because the media were drooling for a mistake like a pack of hyenas. I think that case is still giving the media the fodder to create an anti-hero image for him (charity events, assists, saying the right things, or not).

As far as his teammates liking him, it's hard to like someone who is guarded. That's a fact of life. If you know someone really guarded at work, at best you just keep him/her an aquaintance. At worst, you think s/he's stuck up or hiding something.
 
Last edited:
Gargamel said:
The media started working on him from Day 1, constantly reinforcing the things you don't appreciate about him and molding them into things you detest about him. Before we know anything about these rookies, our perceptions are shaped by the way the media introduces them to us. Before I even knew he was going to the Lakers, I found him to be a curious story and I distinctly remember how most of the media portrayed him.

His press conf at high school to announce he was entering the draft was sneered at, partly because he was wearing a silk suit with sunglasses on his forehead, and because he was confidently talking about his future plans instead of acting humble. I don't think that a lot of the "old schoolers" in the media appreciated that a high school guard was being so highly coveted in the draft over guys like Kerry Kittles who went to college. Back then, Kobe and Jermaine were only the 2nd and 3rd HSers in the draft in 30 years and Kobe was the only non-big of the trio. You could rationalize why a team would take a big high schooler, but not a skinny 2-guard (esp that high). The next thing was how his camp worked to get him past the Nets' reach in the draft (which is still complained about, while pukes like Francis and Shaq got a bye for flat refusing to play for certain teams if they drafted him). Then he didn't get any leeway for making stupid 18 year old mistakes as a rookie. Then he had the audacity to shoot airballs in Utah when his teammates were too afraid to. Etc. He's been a pariah from Day 1.

I find the saga of Kobe Bryant interesting in a car accident sort of way. I find it interesting that BSPN would post an article titled "Hog Wild" after he put up an efficient historical performance when they'd fall all over themselves if Bron or AI did it. There is clear bias against him in the media. I'd like to know if they do it out of conviction or simply because it sells to the non-Lakerfan masses. It's too bad that he got himself into the Eagle mess because the media were drooling for a mistake like a pack of hyenas. I think that case is still giving the media the fodder to create an anti-hero image for him (charity events, assists, saying the right things, or not).

As far as his teammates liking him, it's hard to like someone who is guarded. That's a fact of life. If you know someone really guarded at work, at best you just keep him/her an aquaintance. At worst, you think s/he's stuck up or hiding something.
Click to expand...
Worth reading & I learned a lot. Thanks Gargamel.
 
Kobe gave Mike Miller a nice intentional elbow to the jaw tonight. I chuckled. Kobe was credited with a flagrant foul though, Bibby fans. ;)
 
Gargamel said:
The media started working on him from Day 1, constantly reinforcing the things you don't appreciate about him and molding them into things you detest about him. Before we know anything about these rookies, our perceptions are shaped by the way the media introduces them to us. Before I even knew he was going to the Lakers, I found him to be a curious story and I distinctly remember how most of the media portrayed him.

His press conf at high school to announce he was entering the draft was sneered at, partly because he was wearing a silk suit with sunglasses on his forehead, and because he was confidently talking about his future plans instead of acting humble. I don't think that a lot of the "old schoolers" in the media appreciated that a high school guard was being so highly coveted in the draft over guys like Kerry Kittles who went to college. Back then, Kobe and Jermaine were only the 2nd and 3rd HSers in the draft in 30 years and Kobe was the only non-big of the trio. You could rationalize why a team would take a big high schooler, but not a skinny 2-guard (esp that high). The next thing was how his camp worked to get him past the Nets' reach in the draft (which is still complained about, while pukes like Francis and Shaq got a bye for flat refusing to play for certain teams if they drafted him). Then he didn't get any leeway for making stupid 18 year old mistakes as a rookie. Then he had the audacity to shoot airballs in Utah when his teammates were too afraid to. Etc. He's been a pariah from Day 1.

I find the saga of Kobe Bryant interesting in a car accident sort of way. I find it interesting that BSPN would post an article titled "Hog Wild" after he put up an efficient historical performance when they'd fall all over themselves if Bron or AI did it. There is clear bias against him in the media. I'd like to know if they do it out of conviction or simply because it sells to the non-Lakerfan masses. It's too bad that he got himself into the Eagle mess because the media were drooling for a mistake like a pack of hyenas. I think that case is still giving the media the fodder to create an anti-hero image for him (charity events, assists, saying the right things, or not).

As far as his teammates liking him, it's hard to like someone who is guarded. That's a fact of life. If you know someone really guarded at work, at best you just keep him/her an aquaintance. At worst, you think s/he's stuck up or hiding something.
Click to expand...
Kobe is a jerk and the way he treated his teamates and his own family is apalling, no matter how you spin it.
 
Refs gift-wrapped that game for the Lakers, not sure how they managed to lose it. :)

Every time I watch an LA game, I come away thinking how useless Odom is. He seems to play to his potential maybe one in ten games.

I would not be surprised at all to see Odom for Artest go down. Unless Larry Bird refuses to deal with the Lakers. :)
 
Breaking News!

ESPNRadio's Dan Davis just reported that Kobe Bryant is expected to be suspended later this afternoon, as a result of his elbowing Mike Miller in the MEM/LAL game on Wednesday.
 
Variant said:
Refs gift-wrapped that game for the Lakers, not sure how they managed to lose it. :)

Every time I watch an LA game, I come away thinking how useless Odom is. He seems to play to his potential maybe one in ten games.

I would not be surprised at all to see Odom for Artest go down. Unless Larry Bird refuses to deal with the Lakers. :)
Click to expand...

I would be surprised, given his contract and what he means to the Laker team. Also today, ESPN said a Laker source said he stay.
 
Last edited:
Kobe is stupid. Who does he think he is, talking all that trash. Next time he clips someone unintentionally it'll be viewed as him doing it on purpose. He's gonna get his butt whupped by someone. And it doesn't look like anybody on that team has his back.

Oh yeah.. even the elbow to Miller was a b**ch move. He even looked sorry for doing it, and now he's trying to sell himself as a tough guy.
 
Last edited:
The rumor I've been hearing about is the blowup Kobe had with Lamar Odom following that game. Marty Mac was on KHTK and said he heard from a reliable source(Marty Macs usually pretty good) That Kobe was getting in Odoms face and that Odom let it slide but then Kobe lit into some other guys and Lamar stepped up and said enough, then they really got into it. Interesting if it's true...
 
KP said:
The rumor I've been hearing about is the blowup Kobe had with Lamar Odom following that game. Marty Mac was on KHTK and said he heard from a reliable source(Marty Macs usually pretty good) That Kobe was getting in Odoms face and that Odom let it slide but then Kobe lit into some other guys and Lamar stepped up and said enough, then they really got into it. Interesting if it's true...
Click to expand...
http://www.nypost.com/sports/59690.htm

"There is the verbal abuse he heaps of teammates for not giving him the ball, making open shots off his feeds and generally being mere mortals. People sitting near L.A.'s bench for the Rockets and Wizards games were flabbergasted at the things he screamed at inferiors. Hopefully his ceaseless disrespectful commotion doesn't disturb Phil Jackson's meditation.

There is the smashing of lights and damaging of a TV monitor belonging to the Lakers' flagship station in front of the visitors locker room after Monday's setback in D.C. - and a near brawl with Lamar Odom that sent the above equipment flying.

A source revealed (and another confirmed) things got mighty testy between Kobe and Odom moments after Bryant committed a critical turnover with about five seconds remaining on the game clock. Immediately, Kobe pinned the blame on Lamar for supposedly botching a pick-and-roll designed to stalemate the game with a 3-pointer.

As the pair got closer to the Lakers' dressing room, Kobe became more uncouth and Odom, who squared off with the Heat's Gary Payton after Miami's Christmas Day win, answered in kind. That's when Kobe went after Odom. In doing so, he kicked over the lights and a chair holding the TV monitor. Kobe's security force of two quickly intervened and separated the pair.

In the locker room they again exchanged heated words and challenges. The tension was so intense one of the security guys accompanied Odom to the back of the charter bus and sat nearby on the trip to the airport while the other sat in the front with Kobe, the last member of the Lakers to board. "



Kobe is turning into a bigger douche than I thought possible.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
thesanityannex said:
http://www.nypost.com/sports/59690.htm

"There is the verbal abuse he heaps of teammates for not giving him the ball, making open shots off his feeds and generally being mere mortals. People sitting near L.A.'s bench for the Rockets and Wizards games were flabbergasted at the things he screamed at inferiors. Hopefully his ceaseless disrespectful commotion doesn't disturb Phil Jackson's meditation.

There is the smashing of lights and damaging of a TV monitor belonging to the Lakers' flagship station in front of the visitors locker room after Monday's setback in D.C. - and a near brawl with Lamar Odom that sent the above equipment flying.

A source revealed (and another confirmed) things got mighty testy between Kobe and Odom moments after Bryant committed a critical turnover with about five seconds remaining on the game clock. Immediately, Kobe pinned the blame on Lamar for supposedly botching a pick-and-roll designed to stalemate the game with a 3-pointer.

As the pair got closer to the Lakers' dressing room, Kobe became more uncouth and Odom, who squared off with the Heat's Gary Payton after Miami's Christmas Day win, answered in kind. That's when Kobe went after Odom. In doing so, he kicked over the lights and a chair holding the TV monitor. Kobe's security force of two quickly intervened and separated the pair.

In the locker room they again exchanged heated words and challenges. The tension was so intense one of the security guys accompanied Odom to the back of the charter bus and sat nearby on the trip to the airport while the other sat in the front with Kobe, the last member of the Lakers to board. "



Kobe is turning into a bigger douche than I thought possible.
Click to expand...
What a great teamate.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

King Baller
This is why we love the Kings
Replies
9
Views
942
MizzouKing
MizzouKing
Y
De'Aaron Fox stats: Kings guard joins Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain in the record books with scoring binge
Replies
0
Views
186
Yahoo! Sports - NBA - Sacramento Kings News
Y
Spike
  • Poll Poll
NBA Power Rankings Week of 11/21
Replies
2
Views
351
Capt. Factorial
Capt. Factorial
SLAB
Domas is who they thought he was.
2 3 4
Replies
117
Views
4K
upinsmoke
upinsmoke
Mr. S£im Citrus
  • Locked
  • Poll Poll
[Game] 80/82: Kings vs. Nuggets 09 APR 2025, 7pm PT/10pm ET (ESPN)
7 8 9
Replies
255
Views
6K
Capt. Factorial
Capt. Factorial
Back
Top