Nike Salutes Kobe Bryant With The Kobe 11 Muse Pack
Rachael Allen
Digital News Editor
Nike continues to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant with the Kobe 11 Muse Pack.
The pack, announced just a day after Bryant’s final game with the Los Angeles Lakers after 20 years in the NBA, features three Kobe 11 shoes created with input from Nike president and CEO Mark Parker and designers Tinker Hatfield and Eric Avar. Nike released the Kobe 11 Mamba Day iD shoe at the tipoff of Wednesday night’s Lakers game against the Utah Jazz.
The first release is the Kobe 11 Avar Muse. Bryant and Avar have a shared interest in nature, particularly the El Capitan rock formation in California’s Yosemite National Park — a challenging but rewarding climb that the two felt reflected the struggles both have overcome in life.
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The blue upper of the Kobe 11 Avar Muse represents the sky and the water at Yosemite, and the taupe collar lining evokes the granite rock formations in the park. Boot laces are used in place of usual sneaker laces as yet another nod to the outdoors. The shoe is finished off with a stamp on the heel that reads, “I see beauty in the struggle.”
Bryant’s relationships with Avar, Hatfield and Parker go back to 2003, his first year with Nike, and the first shoe Bryant wore after signing with the brand: the Huarache 2K4.
The Kobe 11 Avar Muse is available in limited quantities on Nike’s Snkrs app and in select retail locations. Nike has not announced when the final two shoes in the pack will be released.
Bryant finished off his career with a bang, scoring 60 points in the Lakers’ home win against the Jazz. He wore black and gold Nike Kobe 11 sneakers.
After the game, Bryant told the crowd, “This has been absolutely beautiful. I can’t believe this comes to an end. What can I say? Mamba out.”
Watch Bryant talk about the Kobe 11 Muse Pack below.
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