The place – Orlando. The time – time to play. The year – 2012. The suspect – one Black Mamba, Bean, KB8/24, Kobe Bryant. The mission – pass Michael, what else?
Say what you will about Kobe, but when he sets his mind to accomplishing a goal, it usually gets done, and if it doesn’t, it isn’t a lack of effort. Let’s look at the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. Coming into the game 4th on the all-time list of great scorers in the midseason classic, Bryant, a 14-time All-Star (tied most all-time) and a four-time All-Star MVP, entered the game with 244 points, 18 behind Jordan’s all-time mark of 262. First he took aim at Big O, Mr. Robertson. Next up, my man, Kareem at 251. Finally, in the third quarter, Kobe hit his mark with a dunk. He went on to score 27 points this night and the West won the game, but he lost the MVP to Kevin Durant.
Before you naysayers make the typical argument against his greatness, know this; it was Kobe’s 13th game to play in. Same as Michael.
And Kobe did it with a broken nose. Yeah, that’s right Dwyane Wade broke his nose. Oh, sure, Wade says it “wasn’t intentional”, but WE know the truth. What shoe was Wade wearing during the game? The Jordan Wade 2. There are NO coincidences.
As for what shoe Kobe was wearing, it was the Kobe VII Galaxy, one of the high point years of All-Star shoe makeups. Although the VII is widely considered one of the worst performers in the line, there is no denying the shoe was highly sought after. With the first modern drop-in midsole system and other serious colorways (Poison Dart Frog, Cheetah, Duke) Nike still came correct for KB24.
Stanley T.
Robbie Falchi