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Lakers’ Kobe Bryant uses Clippers colors on new shoe

By Tom West

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Dec 30, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Lakers won 111-103. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

For Kobe Bryant’s latest shoe design, Nike have done something rather interesting that goes against the unwritten law of a Los Angeles Lakers’ legend using Los Angeles Clippers colors for their gear. Rather than choosing a color that isn’t clearly team specific or going with typical Lakers purple and gold, Kobe’s new shoes will be almost entirely red with blue as a secondary color; essentially the Clippers’ primary color and complementary colors that will be used in their new uniforms next season.

With their bold new design, the Clippers’ will be rocking a bright red jersey for their road games, which is almost identical to the shade that is being used for the upcoming Nike Zoom Kobe Venomenon 5. Because of the blue elements of the new logo that will be used, Kobe’s new shoe will feature the two main colors heavily used by Clippers.

Here’s a look at the shoe itself, in all it’s Clippers red glory:

As you can see, Nike has well and truly strayed away from Lakers colors or any other neutral grey, silver or metallic look that they could have opted for. Instead, the Nike Zoom Kobe Venomenon 5 will look like a Clippers shoe in disguise, if it wasn’t for Kobe’s signature logo above the laces.

Nike may be behind the design, but it’s still Kobe’s shoe and his name that will be on the product itself, making it rather puzzling that they used colors that are so clearly linked to the Clippers. Obviously it’s not as though red, blue and black are off-limits, but designing almost the entire shoe in the red that your rival team uses is something you wouldn’t expect from Nike.

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As for a relentless competitor such as Kobe Bryant, it’s strange to think that his rival Clippers fans may choose to wear his new shoe instead of Chris Paul’s new signature kicks as the former’s actually use all the right colors.

Even if the blue may be a little off, the red that hits you in the face when you see the shoe can’t be mistaken for anything other than Clippers red. Yet, no matter how much it looks like something that belongs to the Lakers’ rivals, it will be used to represent Kobe for the shoe that is still waiting for an official U.S. release date.

So, what do you think? Surprised to see the Clippers-esque design of Kobe’s new shoe enough to buy a pair? Or will you stick to what Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have to offer?

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