Throughout Kobe Bryant’s basketball career, the Lakers legend was not only an on-court master, but a basketball-shoe innovator. He regularly pioneered new technologies and concepts in his Nike Kobe line, thanks in no small part to working with the best designers Nike has to offer. In the Black Mamba’s first post-playing career special collection, the Nike Kobe 11 Muse Pack, his signature shoe will celebrate those footwear design luminaries.
After Kobe signed with Nike in 2003, he eventually wore his own namesake shoes, but first there was the model that paved the way for his signature series. That model was the Air Huarache 2K4, created in collaboration with Nike president and CEO (and designer) Mark Parker, Tinker Hatfield and Eric Avar. Each was key in the 2K4’s design, which wound up informing much of the future of Kobe’s next eleven signature shoes, and so each gets their own colorway of the Kobe 11.
First up, the Nike Kobe 11 Muse “Avar”, which launched today. Sporting a vibrant two-tone blue look, the shoe drew from Bryant and Avar’s shared love of the outdoors, particularly Yosemite National Park’s “El Capitan” rock formation, a renowned destination for elite rock climbers.
The “Avar” Kobe 11 is available starting today, April 14. Stay tuned for more Nike Kobe 11 Muse release dates.