After Kobe Bryant‘s initial shoe deal with Adidas ended, it was time for the Mamba to decide: Nike or Reebok?
After initial meetings with Reebok impressed Kobe, as detailed by Chris Palmer in Bleacher Report's The Lab piece, it seemed that he might sign with the company that had Allen Iverson‘s signature shoe.
But it wasn't meant to be.
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Kobe revealed his decision process:
“My decision really factored on a company's infrastructure apart from their creative design team. It's about their ability to market and execute business initiatives.
But it's really about betting on myself, that I'm able to build a successful business with whoever I sign with, so that was the deciding factor why I went with Nike.”
According to Palmer, when Kobe ran into Reebok Vice President of Marketing Todd Krinsky in an elevator sometime a few weeks after picking Nike, the Lakers legend simply said: “It's just business.”
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