Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant has gone down as an all-time great, and he served as an inspiration for many players in the NBA today. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to know that among all the signature shoe lines, Bryant’s was the most popular among NBA players last season. A total of 136 players opted for his shoes, according to HoopsHype.
1. Kobe Bryant — 136
2. Kevin Durant — 30
3. Devin Booker — 28
4. Sabrina Ionescu — 27
5. LeBron James — 17
6. James Harden — 15
7. Kyrie Irving — 13
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo — 11
T9. Donovan Mitchell — 10
T9. Kyrie Irving — 10
11. Ja Morant — 9
12. Damian Lillard — 8
13. Jayson Tatum — 6
T14. Dwyane Wade — 5
T14. Stephen Curry — 5
What is surprising here is the massive gap between Bryant and the rest. You can combine the figures for the six that come after him, and it’d still be lower than his tally. Whether this is all down to players being fans of Bryant, or some just liking the design and whatnot, is unclear.
The most popular choice among the Black Mamba’s shoes was the Kobe 6, with 61 players opting for it. The highlighter green and red Kobe 6 “Grinch” and “Reverse Grinch” were the most commonly used in this line, with 21 players wearing them. NBA fans had also hailed the “Grinch” as the best Christmas Day shoe of all time.
Second on the list of Bryant’s signature shoe models was the Kobe 5 (23), followed by the Kobe 8 (22) and the Kobe 4 (21). It’s incredible that any one of these would rank in the top 5 by itself.
Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant was a distant runner-up to Bryant. The KD17 was a popular option with the likes of Chet Holmgren opting for it.
Durant’s former Phoenix Suns teammate Devin Booker surprisingly comes in at the third spot. The Book 1s were in demand, and Shaquille O’Neal certainly proved to be in the wrong when he dissed it.
WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu took the fourth spot, with the Sabrina 2s proving to be a sought-after option. Despite the popularity of Ionescu’s shoes among NBA players, her appearance on the list above LeBron James was certainly not expected.
The common denominator when you look at the top five is that they are all Nike athletes. Nike continues to dominate in the NBA, with 65 percent of the players opting for it as their primary shoe brand. Once you include Air Jordan and Converse, the number jumps up to almost 75 percent.
The most commonly worn singular shoe was the Nike Air Zoom G.T. Cut 3 (26), followed by the Air Jordan 39 (18). Neither is attached to any one player, which is quite interesting.
