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After a decade of Jordan Brand dominating the NBA market, the league has taken a turn, with the now-retired Kobe Bryant leading the way as the league's most popular shoe. Following an earlier report that Adidas has overtaken Jordan in popularity, the league has also taken a flip of the page in its most-popular athlete, listing The Black Mamba as the athlete with the most-coveted signature shoes.
According to a report by Versus Reviews via Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype, many have chosen Bryant's Kobe AD series over Jordan's many signature lines, and even LeBron James' series —- making it the go-to choice for at least 58 of the 350 players in NBA rosters.
This passing of the torch can likely be attributed at the era in which Jordan played, now being more than 14 years since he played his last game in a Washington Wizards uniform. To date even further back, it has been 19 years since the legendary scorer led the Bulls to a second three-peat in 1998, a memory for which all rookies coming into this 2017-18 season would be unable to recall.
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Bryant is notably the player most millennials have grown idolizing, with even star-in-the-making Giannis Antetokounmpo being a loyal customer of the signature line, having worn the Kobe X model religiously for the past two seasons.
Other models like Paul George's first shoe, the Nike PG 1, have proved to be one of the favorite on-court choices by players — including the high-top Nike Hyperdunk and the light-as-feather Adidas Crazy Explosive.
Bryant was also one of the first athletes that chose to go back to the low-top style of sneakers in an era where ankle support and protection was heavily a point of emphasis for shoe companies. Over the years, the swift and stylish look of Bryant's signature lines proved to be a favorite — just another proof of his post-retirement success that he still holds onto.
