Nike Hyperdunk 'Lakers' Sample with 'Kobe IV' Sole | Size 14

Acquired through a private collector with ties to the Lakers organization.

Offered in this lot is an exceptionally rare Nike Basketball prototype: a size 14 pair presenting the upper of the Nike Hyperdunk fused with the outsole of the Nike Zoom Kobe IV, presumably produced for Kobe Bryant's use during the 2008-09 NBA season. The white Flywire upper is dressed in the Lakers home palette of purple and gold, with the Kobe tri-star logo embroidered on the tongue and the Kobe IV's distinctive traction pattern on the outsole.

Before Bryant officially unveiled his fourth signature sneaker, Nike Basketball produced this hybrid to allow him to road-test the Kobe IV's sole unit within the familiar Hyperdunk upper he had worn throughout the 2008 Olympic campaign. Samples of this nature rarely survive outside Nike's walls, making this one of the only known examples of the configuration. Notably, Bryant wore this style of sneaker during the 2008-09 season, a season in which he led the Lakers to the first of back-to-back NBA championships, earning Finals MVP honors in the process.

Going Deeper | Kobe Bryant

Drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 and immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant spent all 20 seasons of his career in purple and gold. He won three consecutive championships alongside Shaquille O'Neal from 2000 to 2002 before establishing himself as the undisputed centerpiece of the Lakers offense.

The seasons that followed O'Neal's departure saw Bryant ascend to the peak of his individual powers. He won back-to-back scoring titles in 2005-06 and 2006-07, delivering performances that entered the record books: 62 points against the Dallas Mavericks, and 81 against the Toronto Raptors -- the third-highest single-game total in NBA history, surpassed only by Wilt Chamberlain's 100. He claimed the league's regular season MVP award in 2007-08 and led Team USA to Olympic gold in Beijing that summer as the face of the Nike Hyperdunk.

The 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons brought Bryant full circle. He led the Lakers to back-to-back championships, earning Finals MVP honors on both occasions. He closed his career in April 2016 with 60 points in his final game, willing the Lakers to a come-from-behind victory in a performance that served as a last, luminous demonstration of everything that had made him singular.

In 2021, Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. The Lakers retired both numbers he wore, 8 and 24.