Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 2015-2016 Game Issued Sneakers | 'Locker Room Photomatch'

On January 12, 2016, these Nike Kobe IX Elite Low sneakers were photographed in the locker room, prior to when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 95-91 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Dealing with a sore achilles tendon, Bryant was only able to make it through the first half of the game, recording 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assists and 1 steal. 

The sneakers were presented to our consignor by Kobe Bryant as game worn. MeiGray however was only able to match the pair to the locker room.

When Kobe Bryant was drafted into the NBA at 17 years old he did not celebrate with an elaborate draft party. Instead, Bryant reportedly went to the gym. 17 years later, when he tore his achilles, Kobe was not carried off the court by his teammates. With a face displaying agony, he instead hobbled to the free throw line and made both shots, touching nothing but net.  

An embodiment of the competitive spirit, it was Bryant’s ability to attack each game with an unparalleled desire to win that made him one of this generation’s greatest. When Kobe retired in 2016, he did so as a 5-time NBA champion, a league MVP, a 2-time scoring champion, and a 12-time All-Defensive team selection. A complete player and an ambassador of the game, Bryant was the face of the Los Angeles Lakers and one of the biggest names in the NBA during his 20-year career. 

Going Deeper | Kobe Bryant

After the three consecutive Laker championships from 2000-2002, the legendary tandem of Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal was disbanded when Shaq was dealt to the Miami Heat in 2004. With Kobe firmly in the driver's seat of the Lakers offense, he quickly established himself as one of the premier scorers the game has ever seen. 

Between 2005 and the end of his career, Kobe put on a plethora of jaw-dropping scoring displays: 62 points against the Mavericks, 81 points against the Raptors (2nd all-time in NBA history) 55 here, 60 there. It seemed that any night could provide NBA fans with a dominant performance – a scoring clinic. 

Kobe won back-to-back scoring titles in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 and achieved NBA League MVP honors in the 2007-2008 season, the only regular season MVP of his career. After being joined by Pau Gasol, Kobe led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances (2008, 2009, 2010) and two NBA championships (2009 and 2010), earning Finals MVP honors on both occasions. 

Kobe ended his historic career with one last shining moment in 2016. In his final game in the NBA, a 37-year old Bryant willed the Lakers to a come-from-behind victory, scoring 60 points and hitting the game-winning shot in the process. The performance was surreal, the perfect bow on the gift that was watching Kobe play. A nod to the basketball greats, a demonstration of a love for the game, deep-rooted and palpable. 

In 2021, Kobe Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The Lakers organization retired both numbers he wore during his career, 24 and 8.