Thursday was August 24, or has it has become known, Mamba Day, celebrating the late, great Kobe Bryant.
In celebration of the day, which also included the announcement earlier in the day of a statue of Kobe to be erected in from of Staples Center, Nike made available 4 Kobe silhouettes – the “undefeated” Kobe V Protro, the “GiGi” Kobe IV Protro, “Mambacita” Kobe VI Protro and the “”Grinch” Kobe VI Protro -via the worst purchase sneaker buying platfor ever conceived, the SNKRS application.
The draw for these opened at 10:24; I was on few minutes prior ,essentially in a holding pattern, waiting for the designated time. While all four pairs are awesome but I laser focused on the “Grinch” due to unforseen circumstances forced me to part with my original pair. After entering the draw, 8 minutes later I got the messages that has greeted many a sneaker enthusiast nearly every Saturday of the year.
While this may seem little more than the rantings of another SNKRS loser, I can assure this is not the case. My experience that day was one that was mirrored by many, which is the issue. Nike once again botched a Kobe release, with stock numbers so paltry they were laughable combined with the lack of a full size run. These factors once again played a pivotal role in many Kobe fans missing out and gift wrapping another win for the resellers and the death profiteers, issues that played a key roles in the Nike/Kobe nearly coming to an end and issues that were supposed to be rectified with the resurrection of the Bryant/Nike relationship and the revitalising of the Kobe brand.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
