Anthony Davis paid homage to the Los Angeles Lakers with his latest sneaker choice.
While boxing in a new clip with Jalen Walker on Instagram on Monday, Davis — the team’s center and power forward — was seen wearing a pair of vibrant purple Nike sneakers. The Kobe 6 style featured leather-dotted uppers with yellow Nike Swooshes on each side. The pair was complete with matte purple laces and tongues, as well as yellow and black rounded rubber soles — which furthered its signature Los Angeles Lakers color palette.
“I had a fun time sparring @anthonydavislaker,” Walker captioned the video, along with laughing emojis — with a challenge for his ideal next opponent in the ring. “Yo @kingjames you got next.”
Davis’ Kobe sneakers are a pair he’s previously worn during games on multiple occasions. As a Nike-signed athlete, the basketball star is currently under contract with the brand through 2028, according to Sports Manor.
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Kobe Bryant‘s original deal with Nike began in 1996 when the star basketball player first signed with the athletic brand. In 1997, he launched his first signature sneaker — the chunky KB8 style — with Nike, leading to multiple continued launches until April 2021, following his passing in 2020.
Bryant’s legacy at Nike is also continuing today. As previously reported by Footwear News in June, the brand is intending to relaunch Bryant’s brand at the label before August 24 — also known as Kobe Day, which represents Bryant’s two jersey numbers he wore throughout his career in the NBA.
“Considering those who were not historically Kobe fans might now want his sneakers because of the legacy and wanting to be associated with that, I don’t anticipate an increase in availability because that scarcity model is what drives sales,” sneaker collector Darryl Glover told FN at the time. “From a typical and general business standpoint, making more sneakers could be a risk for Nike. No company wants leftover inventory or product that will then need to be discounted, but I don’t think that would be the case with Kobes.”
