Is Kobe the 2nd most marketable NBA player ever behind Jordan?

[LosScandalous]

When your talking about the G.O.A.T. list, money making never finds its way on there for some reason. Gotta respect the guys that bring in revenue for the league to keep it running for us fans.

I don't think there has been a better candidate ever besides Jordan

+He's handsome
+He owns 2 video games (NBA Courtside Kobe Bryant 1 & 2)[On the cover of a few others including 2k10]
+Eye pleasing game that attracts fans
+Owns China
+accomplished music career
+Has his name branded on the best ballin shoes today
+Sells a ton of jerseys. Go to Laker games. You still see plenty of people wearing #8 Kobe jerseys, hell some of them even wear his #33 Lower Merion high school throwback.

most marketable players are IMO
1. Jordan
2. Kobe
3. Shaq
4. Wilt
5. Lebron
6. Magic
7. Tmac
9. Bird
10. Iverson/KAJ/DR.J

[L8kersfan222]

Have you seen the price tag on Lebron's shoes?

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Playing for the lakers doesn't hurt.

[TonyMontana]

Iverson should definetly be higher than 10th.

Back when Iverson was a stud the dude had stans that rival those of LeBron and Kobe stans today. Kobe/LeBron/Iverson are the three most popular guys since Jordan.

I guess Shaq is "marketable" since he is universally known by everyone, but him/Duncan just never had the stans. You have to be a perimeter player to have the hardcore stans IMO.

[Yankstar]

Yes without a doubt. Lebron has a long way to go in terms of longevity to get to Kobes level of household fame.

I'm picking this guy to take on the fame legacy of kobe when he retires. Just look at that smile. :banana:
http://lakerholicz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/dwight-howard-los-angeles-lakers.jpg

[JtotheIzzo]

that rapey thingy kind of ruined it.

[Yankstar]

that rapey thingy kind of ruined it.

Even mambas get tempted...
:facepalm

[thabisyo]

Yes without a doubt. Lebron has a long way to go in terms of longevity to get to Kobes level of household fame.

I'm picking this guy to take on the fame legacy of kobe when he retires. Just look at that smile. :banana:
http://lakerholicz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/dwight-howard-los-angeles-lakers.jpg

You are picking dwight over Lebron? who does that :biggums:

[ripthekik]

most marketable players are IMO
1. Jordan
2. Kobe
3. Shaq
4. Wilt
5. Lebron
6. Magic
7. Tmac
9. Bird
10. Iverson/KAJ/DR.J
I see a lot of things wrong with this list. First of all, big men just aren't that marketable. Shaq is popular and well known, but ain't no one buying his shoes. Wilt is the same. Tmac? He was semi-popular, but he never got around to Iverson or Kobe's level.

After Jordan, the next 2 has got to be Kobe and Iverson. Those 3 are the most marketable NBA athletes in history.

[PieceOfFelt]

I see a lot of things wrong with this list. First of all, big men just aren't that marketable. Shaq is popular and well known, but ain't no one buying his shoes. Wilt is the same. Tmac? He was semi-popular, but he never got around to Iverson or Kobe's level.

After Jordan, the next 2 has got to be Kobe and Iverson. Those 3 are the most marketable NBA athletes in history.

Being marketable is about more than just selling shoes. For a long time Chamberlain and Russell to a lesser degree were the NBA. Chamberlain was also an interesting figure, Shaq to a much lesser degree.

- Felt

[PieceOfFelt]

In terms of marketability

1. Jordan









2. Dr. J/Wilt/Magic/Kobe/LeBron

[FiveRings]

Yes. He is the second most marketable behind MJ. Why? His skill level. You can argue that guys like Shaq, TD, and Bron are better than him, and I respect those opinions (even if I don't agree, you can make a respectable argument for either side and it's hard to rank them because they all play different positions) but the reason I admire and respect Kobe more than those guys is because he's earned that respect. Kobe's working at a big disadvantage by being smaller than these guys, but because of his amazing work ethic and skill level, he's on the same level as these guys or at least close to it at worst.

I don't understand how the Kobe's haters can respect a guy like Shaq so much more than Kobe. All Shaq had to do to get his size was have his parents have sex. Kobe had to work ten times harder than Shaq, and he even ended up accomplishing more in his career than Shaq despite Shaq's huge size advantage.

[No_Look604]

<<<<<<<<<THE GREAT ONE. Nice performance tonight.

[Timmy D for MVP]

I suppose just going by absolute reasoning.

But I would argue that Dr. J was more marketable than Kobe. He changed the game. The difference is Kobe came AFTER a number of factors that made the NBA a true global market. Dr. J came before.

But his influence on the game, on the marketing of the game, the whole package, I would consider him the more marketable player. You always hear it but Jordan before Jordan is not a bad way to put it.

[6 for 24]

This is an excellent question!

Here in the plains of Mozambique, we have a saying, "You must be living under a rock if you haven't heard of the great Kobe Bryant." To tell you the truth, my god-parent Idowu actually does live under a rock, and even he has heard of Kobe Bryant! Hahahahahahahahaha!

http://s11.postimg.org/44tq94wqb/jumpforkobe.jpg

Here I am jumping for joy in my brand new Kobe 2 Moon shoes. Quite an attractive shoe, wouldn't you say? My entourage certainly concurs!

Warmest regards,

Ayotunde Ndiaye

[dbk123]

http://slcwhblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/kobe.jpg

[thabisyo]

http://slcwhblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/kobe.jpg


:lol

People will never let that go

[kNicKz]

This is an excellent question!

Here in the plains of Mozambique, we have a saying, "You must be living under a rock if you haven't heard of the great Kobe Bryant." To tell you the truth, my god-parent Idowu actually does live under a rock, and even he has heard of Kobe Bryant! Hahahahahahahahaha!

http://s11.postimg.org/44tq94wqb/jumpforkobe.jpg

Here I am jumping for joy in my brand new Kobe 2 Moon shoes. Quite an attractive shoe, wouldn't you say? My entourage certainly concurs!

Warmest regards,

Ayotunde Ndiaye

:biggums:

[9512]

:biggums:

My sentiments exactly.

[miller-time]

I don't know about ever.

He is the most marketable player of his generation and he is benefiting from playing in the information age. Magic and Bird were global icons before all of this but modern marketing strategies and technology would have limited their marketing success. I think Bird in particular would be as or more marketable than Kobe in the modern era for obvious reasons (at least in the US).

[SilkkTheShocker]

LeBron's shoes cost almost $200 per pair and rising each year.

[SilkkTheShocker]

Yes without a doubt. Lebron has a long way to go in terms of longevity to get to Kobes level of household fame.

I'm picking this guy to take on the fame legacy of kobe when he retires. Just look at that smile. :banana:
http://lakerholicz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/dwight-howard-los-angeles-lakers.jpg


Big men aren't nearly as marketable as wing players.

[TheBigVeto]

Yes. He is the second most marketable behind MJ. Why? DAVID STERN.

FTFY

[FiveRings]

FTFY
Yes. Genius move by Stern to decide to have Kobe score 81 in a game. Brilliant marketing move.

Stern:bowdown:

[Dragonyeuw]

I think what makes someone like Kobe marketable to the average person is that in terms of NBA players, he's not blessed with physical gifts like a Lebron or Shaq which is pretty much god given genetics. Kobe was/is a great athlete but he's mostly a product of incredible skill and fundamentals, things which are at least *realistically* achievable to someone who wants to put in the work( of course you have to have a certain amount of natural talent as well).

[dynasty1978]

I think what makes someone like Kobe marketable to the average person is that in terms of NBA players, he's not blessed with physical gifts like a Lebron or Shaq which is pretty much god given genetics. Kobe was/is a great athlete but he's mostly a product of incredible skill and fundamentals, things which are at least *realistically* achievable to someone who wants to put in the work( of course you have to have a certain amount of natural talent as well).

This plus the fact that he sounds reasonably intelligent in interviews compared to other NBA stars.

[cavsfanatic]

this shows the youth of the people on this forum. Shaq and Lebron have more market success than Kobe. Market success is endorsements/shoe sales. I'd actually put Shaq at 2nd. He was everywhere before the rings with movies and shit. Lebron came out the gates with huge endorsement deals and still get's them although he had more market success in Cleveland.

Kobe with the woman accusing rape and Lebron with the decision caused them to lose a few market dollars from when they were at the top.

The NBA

[cavsfanatic]

I think what makes someone like Kobe marketable to the average person is that in terms of NBA players, he's not blessed with physical gifts like a Lebron or Shaq which is pretty much god given genetics. Kobe was/is a great athlete but he's mostly a product of incredible skill and fundamentals, things which are at least *realistically* achievable to someone who wants to put in the work( of course you have to have a certain amount of natural talent as well).
Jordan didn't have any physical gifts. Kobe was a amazing athlete the same as Mj. that has nothing to do with marketability

[Euroleague]

WTF? Yeah, a guy that had a rape trial............

[Dragonyeuw]

Jordan didn't have any physical gifts. Kobe was a amazing athlete the same as Mj. that has nothing to do with marketability

:biggums: Jordan didn't have physical gifts? Jordan was clearly a more explosive athlete in his prime compared to Kobe. Not to forget he had hands as big and in some cases bigger than centers, which allowed him a degree of in-air ball control that Kobe never had, which aided all those creative finishes around the basket. Hell, youtube Phil Jackson comparing the two and he'll mention how Jordan physically was capable of doing things Kobe couldn't, and specifically mentioned his hands.

[Jasper]

that rapey thingy kind of ruined it.


Nailed it.

I never cared for Kobe , because IMO he is the ultimate ball hog... BUT
He could easily became equal to Bird , Majic and Jordan in the league in regards to carrying the league as well as marketable

Took over 6 years for officials to stop ignoring fouls on Kobe that weren't called because the league hated him for his rape ....

It cost Kobe millions not only paying her off , but sponsors dropping him like he had shit stuck to his face.

NO WAY IS HE 2nd MARKETABLE player to the NBA or for that matter 2nd most personal revenue in BBall history.

--------

Because of salaries starting with Majic and Bird and Jordan pushing the evelope ... it is really current 20 years are the players even in the discussion.

If the same kind of money was to be had in the 80's Kareem would of been the most marketable player ever , because of all the UCLA and NBA titles the guy carried.

Iverson most definitely is top 3-4..... he was the under-dog mobster gangster cred player of all time , and fans flocked to his persona ....

[livingby3's]

This is an excellent question!

Here in the plains of Mozambique, we have a saying, "You must be living under a rock if you haven't heard of the great Kobe Bryant." To tell you the truth, my god-parent Idowu actually does live under a rock, and even he has heard of Kobe Bryant! Hahahahahahahahaha!

http://s11.postimg.org/44tq94wqb/jumpforkobe.jpg

Here I am jumping for joy in my brand new Kobe 2 Moon shoes. Quite an attractive shoe, wouldn't you say? My entourage certainly concurs!

Warmest regards,

Ayotunde Ndiaye

definitely a weak era of gimmicks

[Rubio2Gasol]

I think the rape thing hurts him in this category. He lost out on being the poster boy of the NBA in his prime because of that alone.

[SilkkTheShocker]

This thread is really stupid. Kobe's rape case cost him that chance awhile ago. Not to mention how Kobe was a sidekick for a huge chunk of his career.

[Dragonyeuw]

I think the rape thing hurts him in this category. He lost out on being the poster boy of the NBA in his prime because of that alone.

Question is, without the rape charge, would he have still been the poster boy with Lebron around? It's evident that Kobe was becoming 'the face of the league' and the 'air apparent' back in 2003 right before the Denver incident. Lebron's arrival later that year was very timely in terms of the league needing a new marketable star.

[dh144498]

This is an excellent question!

Here in the plains of Mozambique, we have a saying, "You must be living under a rock if you haven't heard of the great Kobe Bryant." To tell you the truth, my god-parent Idowu actually does live under a rock, and even he has heard of Kobe Bryant! Hahahahahahahahaha!

http://s11.postimg.org/44tq94wqb/jumpforkobe.jpg

Here I am jumping for joy in my brand new Kobe 2 Moon shoes. Quite an attractive shoe, wouldn't you say? My entourage certainly concurs!

Warmest regards,

Ayotunde Ndiaye

:biggums:

dafuq did I just read? :roll:

[SilkkTheShocker]

Question is, without the rape charge, would he have still been the poster boy with Lebron around? It's evident that Kobe was becoming 'the face of the league' and the 'air apparent' back in 2003 right before the Denver incident. Lebron's arrival later that year was very timely in terms of the league needing a new marketable star.

I don't think there is a time where could have ever been the face of the league. And its simple. A large number of people simply never liked Kobe. For all the fans Kobe has, there have always been a large number of people that didn't like him. They thought he was a ballhog and didn't like him feuding with Shaq. The rape case was the final nail in the coffin. Don't get me wrong, he definitely had the potential. I will stand up for him though. Because I honestly believe that if Jordan played in the era of internet, he wouldn't be as liked as he is now.

[SilkkTheShocker]

I think what makes someone like Kobe marketable to the average person is that in terms of NBA players, he's not blessed with physical gifts like a Lebron or Shaq which is pretty much god given genetics. Kobe was/is a great athlete but he's mostly a product of incredible skill and fundamentals, things which are at least *realistically* achievable to someone who wants to put in the work( of course you have to have a certain amount of natural talent as well).

This is absolute revisionist history. Kobe was an athletic freak. Was he on Shaq or LeBron's department in that department? No, but few have ever been. Some of you act like he was Paul Pierce. The guy can still get up there now. And Kobe's fundamentals are very overrated. He still doesn't understand the concept of team basketball.

[dh144498]

I don't think there is a time where could have ever been the face of the league. And its simple. A large number of people simply never liked Kobe. For all the fans Kobe has, there have always been a large number of people that didn't like him. They thought he was a ballhog and didn't like him feuding with Shaq. The rape case was the final nail in the coffin. Don't get me wrong, he definitely had the potential. I will stand up for him though. Because I honestly believe that if Jordan played in the era of internet, he wouldn't be as liked as he is now.



This is absolute revisionist history. Kobe was an athletic freak. Was he on Shaq or LeBron's department in that department? No, but few have ever been. Some of you act like he was Paul Pierce. The guy can still get up there now. And Kobe's fundamentals are very overrated. He still doesn't understand the concept of team basketball.


:biggums:

[SilkkTheShocker]

:biggums:

I don't see how either of those statement's are wrong. Kobe being the face of the NBA was questionable before the rape case even happened. How can you market someone as the face of the NBA when half of the fans don't like you?

[Rubio2Gasol]

Question is, without the rape charge, would he have still been the poster boy with Lebron around? It's evident that Kobe was becoming 'the face of the league' and the 'air apparent' back in 2003 right before the Denver incident. Lebron's arrival later that year was very timely in terms of the league needing a new marketable star.

Oh , without a doubt.

People sometimes don't understand the vibe around young Kobe - This kid was raw - played the game as naturally as you will ever see. quick reads, picking apart teams, footwork we'd never seen before. I know I personally was very excited.

[Dragonyeuw]

This is absolute revisionist history. Kobe was an athletic freak. Was he on Shaq or LeBron's department in that department? No, but few have ever been.

I wouldn't go as far as to call him an athletic freak. Dr.J was an athletic freak for his time. Jordan was one, Dominique was one, Vince was one, Lebron is one, Orlando Shaq was one, Young Iverson (I'm missing a few names, but you get the idea). I don't consider Kobe on those guys athletic level so no, to me he's not an athletic freak. Is he a great athlete? Obviously. Either way it's a subjective opinion so not sure it's one worth debating about and it's certainly not revisionist history. I just don't look at Kobe as being some genetic freak and I recall his early days very well.

[cavsfanatic]

:biggums: Jordan didn't have physical gifts? Jordan was clearly a more explosive athlete in his prime compared to Kobe. Not to forget he had hands as big and in some cases bigger than centers, which allowed him a degree of in-air ball control that Kobe never had, which aided all those creative finishes around the basket. Hell, youtube Phil Jackson comparing the two and he'll mention how Jordan physically was capable of doing things Kobe couldn't, and specifically mentioned his hands.
you said physical so I thought you meant body size. I was comparing Kobe's size to Jordan's. Kobe is one of the best athlete's I've seen along with Jordan.

If Kobe would have showed his personality more maybe he'd have more marketability. Lebron having that silly gene helped him in terms of marketability along with Shaq.

[TonyMontana]

I think what makes someone like Kobe marketable to the average person is that in terms of NBA players, he's not blessed with physical gifts like a Lebron or Shaq which is pretty much god given genetics. Kobe was/is a great athlete but he's mostly a product of incredible skill and fundamentals, things which are at least *realistically* achievable to someone who wants to put in the work( of course you have to have a certain amount of natural talent as well).

Kobes dad was an NBA player. You can't have better genetics for basketball than that. Dude was probably one of the best athletes to ever play the game when he was younger. Get that shit out of here.

[retaxis]

kobe doesn't 'own' china, China owns Kobe

[dh144498]

Kobes dad was an NBA player. You can't have better genetics for basketball than that. Dude was probably one of the best athletes to ever play the game when he was younger. Get that shit out of here.

:biggums:

:wtf:


so much stupidity in 1 post...

[Dragonyeuw]

Kobes dad was an NBA player. You can't have better genetics for basketball than that.

That really has sweet f**k all to do with Kobe as an athlete though. One of the best ever athletes to play the game? I wouldn't even rank him as one of the 6-7 most athletic perimeter players ever, and I'm not even including guys like Shaq, Wilt, Kemp etc who were also more explosive and athletically gifted in their primes. Of course, there are several ways to measure athleticism so it depends on what we're talking here.

[Dragonyeuw]

:biggums:

:wtf:


so much stupidity in 1 post...

Seriously.

[Dragonyeuw]

you said physical so I thought you meant body size. I was comparing Kobe's size to Jordan's. Kobe is one of the best athlete's I've seen along with Jordan.

If Kobe would have showed his personality more maybe he'd have more marketability. Lebron having that silly gene helped him in terms of marketability along with Shaq.

No I was referring to their athletic physical gifts (leaping ability, quickness,speed,reaction/reflexes). Kobe is a poor man's Jordan in pretty much all of those categories, which is not a knock on Kobe. MJ was just one of the most gifted athletes ever. One 'physical' trait that Jordan has over Kobe is, as I mentioned before, his hands which really is just one of those god given gifts.

Personally, I find Kobe's game more aesthetically pleasing than Lebron's, but Lebron for the most part doesn't have the sort of aloof personality that has put some people off Kobe.

[donmawe]

http://www.giantrobot.com/wp-media-uploads/la-sp-ln-la-kobe-bryant-visitin-china-on-nike-001.jpeg

http://images.freshnessmag.com/wp-content/uploads//2012/08/Nike-Basketball-Kobe-Bryant-China-Tour-2012-Wuhan-00.jpg

http://ohverlycritical.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kobe.jpg

http://turnernbahangtime.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/0817-kobe-bryant-china-450a.jpg

http://basket-infos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Kobe-Bryant-China-Nike-Tour-2012-2.jpg

[retaxis]

http://www.giantrobot.com/wp-media-uploads/la-sp-ln-la-kobe-bryant-visitin-china-on-nike-001.jpeg

http://images.freshnessmag.com/wp-content/uploads//2012/08/Nike-Basketball-Kobe-Bryant-China-Tour-2012-Wuhan-00.jpg

http://ohverlycritical.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kobe.jpg

http://turnernbahangtime.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/0817-kobe-bryant-china-450a.jpg

http://basket-infos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Kobe-Bryant-China-Nike-Tour-2012-2.jpg
china has 1.35 billion people. Any superstar ranging from Leonardo Di Caprio to Tiger Woods to Lebron James generates legions of 'fans' or are you saying that only fans show up for Kobe? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[TheWalkman]

:lol

People will never let that go

Wellllllllllll, he did rape a chick. Not something ya kind of forget.

[9erempiree]

yep, he is.

[alleykat]

The thing is jordan brought marketing to a completely untouched level....they were trying to give penny some shine at the time, but went down in irrelevance...

jordan's marketing is leagues above anybody else on the list. his brand alone reaches a far wider market than any other NBA player period. It's even breaking through into the current "hipster" trend. Everybody else is kind of wallowing behind.

I heard McGee is getting his own show tho.. so :bowdown:

[NumberSix]

Wellllllllllll, he did rape a chick. Not something ya kind of forget.
You can barely lace up your own sneakers.

Oh, and it wasn't a legitimate rape.

[Shih508]

AI would be most marketable only if Stern gave him 1/10 of love that Kobe got

[TonyMontana]

That really has sweet f**k all to do with Kobe as an athlete though. One of the best ever athletes to play the game? I wouldn't even rank him as one of the 6-7 most athletic perimeter players ever, and I'm not even including guys like Shaq, Wilt, Kemp etc who were also more explosive and athletically gifted in their primes. Of course, there are several ways to measure athleticism so it depends on what we're talking here.

I don't give a **** kid.

Don't go off trying to portray Kobe as some huge underdog with several physical problems that hinder his ability to dominate. The guys dad was a professional NBA player(who gave him great genetics), he constantly practiced with his dads professional teams and grew up around that(which explains his fundamentals), he was rich and given every advantage possible. Watching young Kobe, the guy was as athletic as anyone thats ever played. You sound like a little kid, so you'll need to go on youtube to see the kind of athletic feats he was capable of.

Oh...and when he got drafted to a team with a bad history he bitched his way to LA so he could play on a stacked club. Has Kobe ever won a single playoff series in his career as an "underdog?" :oldlol: he only wins when his team is more stacked. I guarantee he gets **** creampied in the first round this year. GUARANTEED. CREAMPIE

Guys like Shaq who came from the hood and couldn't even dunk a basketball at 7 feet tall when he started playing are real underdogs.

[LongLiveTheKing]

Lebron is Nike's most marketable player. Lebron is the face of Nike today, and Lebron's shoes are more popular as well.

[The Choken One]

You can barely lace up your own sneakers.

Oh, and it wasn't a legitimate rape.
A legitimate post...I'm impressed.

As for the rape allegation, everybody who has any common sense knows that chick was just looking to get paid.

[ripthekik]

Lebron is Nike's most marketable player. Lebron is the face of Nike today, and Lebron's shoes are more popular as well.
Are they actually popular? I don't see a lot of them out there..
Plus.. I don't really understand why anyone would buy those shoes. They cost what, $150?

I don't understand paying so much for basketball shoes. Maybe some casual shoes, leather shoes, whatever, but for a shoe that you are going to run, break in, and grind the hell out of? Hell just give me some $75 nike bball's and i'm good to go.

Other than the price, the shoe looks like a tank too. It's bulky and doesn't feel flexible at all..

[jstern]

I always felt that the rape thing ruined things for Kobe. Kobe became a household name because of rape charges. (Which I think he was innocent of). Before the rape charges someone like my mom didn't know who Kobe was, after it, yes. But regardless of that, those types of charges are huge

[jstern]

This is an excellent question!

Here in the plains of Mozambique, we have a saying, "You must be living under a rock if you haven't heard of the great Kobe Bryant." To tell you the truth, my god-parent Idowu actually does live under a rock, and even he has heard of Kobe Bryant! Hahahahahahahahaha!

http://s11.postimg.org/44tq94wqb/jumpforkobe.jpg

Here I am jumping for joy in my brand new Kobe 2 Moon shoes. Quite an attractive shoe, wouldn't you say? My entourage certainly concurs!

Warmest regards,

Ayotunde Ndiaye

http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/21/2175/JFMCD00Z/posters/d-h-webster-masai-warriors-perform-jumping-dance-masai-mara-national-park-kenya-east-africa-africa.jpg

[cavsfanatic]

Are they actually popular? I don't see a lot of them out there..
Plus.. I don't really understand why anyone would buy those shoes. They cost what, $150?

I don't understand paying so much for basketball shoes. Maybe some casual shoes, leather shoes, whatever, but for a shoe that you are going to run, break in, and grind the hell out of? Hell just give me some $75 nike bball's and i'm good to go.

Other than the price, the shoe looks like a tank too. It's bulky and doesn't feel flexible at all.. take it from a sneaker head. Lebron's shoes are monsters especially with all the options on Nike ID. Lebron is killing the shoe game. All about the style my man. they cost 180 mostly, but worth it. 240 on Nike ID and especially worth it because you have a custom pair of Lebron's

[NumberSix]

Are they actually popular? I don't see a lot of them out there..
Plus.. I don't really understand why anyone would buy those shoes. They cost what, $150?

I don't understand paying so much for basketball shoes. Maybe some casual shoes, leather shoes, whatever, but for a shoe that you are going to run, break in, and grind the hell out of? Hell just give me some $75 nike bball's and i'm good to go.

Other than the price, the shoe looks like a tank too. It's bulky and doesn't feel flexible at all..
Yeah, that's the big problem with fuse material. It's just NOT flexible. :facepalm

[ripthekik]

take it from a sneaker head. Lebron's shoes are monsters especially with all the options on Nike ID. Lebron is killing the shoe game. All about the style my man. they cost 180 mostly, but worth it. 240 on Nike ID and especially worth it because you have a custom pair of Lebron's
I used to like shoes a lot too. I see the hot coloways, but the shoe itself.. I just don't see it as a hot item. Since it's so expensive.. do people buy them to ball? Or more like to walk around now? I feel they're basically a rich kid's item.

I can never see myself balling in a 240 shoe.. basketball shoes are for me to tear down and destroy.. not a luxury item

[NumberSix]

I used to like shoes a lot too. I see the hot coloways, but the shoe itself.. I just don't see it as a hot item. Since it's so expensive.. do people buy them to ball? Or more like to walk around now? I feel they're basically a rich kid's item.

I can never see myself balling in a 240 shoe.. basketball shoes are for me to tear down and destroy.. not a luxury item
I'd actually agree. I personally don't like the current LeBron's. There is one really good thing about the LeBron line though. You can count on them to put the best tech and quality in them. Nike is super stingy these days with which air bags and other materials they'll put into sneakers. You at least don't have to worry about that with the LeBron line. They won't skimp on the quality the way they do with Jordan brand and other retro nikes.

[6 for 24]

Mr. Jstern (are you related to the god Stern?):

I'm afraid you are mistaken here. The photo you posted is of the Maasai warrior Jelani. You can see from his footwear that his family is not nearly as wealthy as mine, and, in fact, some in his lineage are servants to my relatives. Frankly, I am shocked you cannot see the difference as in my eyes we look nothing alike! But it is a forgivable offense; after all, all white men look the same to me so whom am I to speak?

Warmest regards,

Ayotunde Ndiaye

[Dragonyeuw]

Ama
I don't give a **** kid.

Don't go off trying to portray Kobe as some huge underdog with several physical problems that hinder his ability to dominate. The guys dad was a professional NBA player(who gave him great genetics), he constantly practiced with his dads professional teams and grew up around that(which explains his fundamentals), he was rich and given every advantage possible. Watching young Kobe, the guy was as athletic as anyone thats ever played. You sound like a little kid, so you'll need to go on youtube to see the kind of athletic feats he was capable of.

Oh...and when he got drafted to a team with a bad history he bitched his way to LA so he could play on a stacked club. Has Kobe ever won a single playoff series in his career as an "underdog?" :oldlol: he only wins when his team is more stacked. I guarantee he gets **** creampied in the first round this year. GUARANTEED. CREAMPIE

Guys like Shaq who came from the hood and couldn't even dunk a basketball at 7 feet tall when he started playing are real underdogs.

Amazing how most of what you say above has nothing to do with anything I've said about Kobe's athleticism compared to some of the more explosive athletic players like a Jordan or Lebron. As athletic as anyone who ever played? As athletic as young Jordan? 2009 Lebron? 2000 Vince? Clyde Drexler? Please STFU.

If Kobe's dad is responsible for Kobe having 'great genetics' as you call it, how do you explain the fact that guys like Jordan, Vince, Lebron, Shaq, Wilt, all the 'freak' athletes never had any NBA family lineage? Where did they get those gifts from?

Shaq an underdog who couldn't dunk at 7 feet? :wtf: Confirmed troll and idiot. Congrats.

[lilgodfather1]

Iverson is no worse than 3rd. During my teenage years, there wasn't a person that didn't know who he was. Iverson jerseys everywhere. Just because he has become an outcast does not mean he wasn't the most marketable player of the early 2000's.

[Jasper]

Question is, without the rape charge, would he have still been the poster boy with Lebron around? It's evident that Kobe was becoming 'the face of the league' and the 'air apparent' back in 2003 right before the Denver incident. Lebron's arrival later that year was very timely in terms of the league needing a new marketable star.
no doubt , because Jordan was showing by example as well as having chats with him...no doubt Kobe would of followed in Jordans steps , because this league wants an 'A'type player to be the poster boy of the league , and with Kobe's dad having played in the league it would of been a cinderallaaaaa' story

[Jasper]

http://www.giantrobot.com/wp-media-uploads/la-sp-ln-la-kobe-bryant-visitin-china-on-nike-001.jpeg
Asia men hav no regard to woman , and like guys from other cultures that have the same cred

:kobe:

[dh144498]

I don't give a **** kid.

Don't go off trying to portray Kobe as some huge underdog with several physical problems that hinder his ability to dominate. The guys dad was a professional NBA player(who gave him great genetics), he constantly practiced with his dads professional teams and grew up around that(which explains his fundamentals), he was rich and given every advantage possible. Watching young Kobe, the guy was as athletic as anyone thats ever played. You sound like a little kid, so you'll need to go on youtube to see the kind of athletic feats he was capable of.

Oh...and when he got drafted to a team with a bad history he bitched his way to LA so he could play on a stacked club. Has Kobe ever won a single playoff series in his career as an "underdog?" :oldlol: he only wins when his team is more stacked. I guarantee he gets **** creampied in the first round this year. GUARANTEED. CREAMPIE

Guys like Shaq who came from the hood and couldn't even dunk a basketball at 7 feet tall when he started playing are real underdogs.

:roll:

you are THIS mad. :lol

[dh144498]

http://www.giantrobot.com/wp-media-uploads/la-sp-ln-la-kobe-bryant-visitin-china-on-nike-001.jpeg

http://images.freshnessmag.com/wp-content/uploads//2012/08/Nike-Basketball-Kobe-Bryant-China-Tour-2012-Wuhan-00.jpg

http://ohverlycritical.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kobe.jpg

http://turnernbahangtime.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/0817-kobe-bryant-china-450a.jpg

http://basket-infos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Kobe-Bryant-China-Nike-Tour-2012-2.jpg


:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[Dragonyeuw]

:roll:

you are THIS mad. :lol

The amount of fail in that post is staggering.

[sportjames23]

Lurked for a while before I was able to register here, but always wanted to give you props for your avy, Dragonyeuw.

:cheers:

[Dragonyeuw]

Lurked for a while before I was able to register here, but always wanted to give you props for your avy, Dragonyeuw.

:cheers:

I will have to return the props for yours. :cheers:

[kshutts1]

Not reading the whole thread, but has Walt Frazier been mentioned? Bob Cousy (back in the day his flashy passes were probably the theoretical ESPN top 10 every day)?

[daily]

You are picking dwight over Lebron? who does that :biggums:

Not picking Dwight or Lebron but your post reminds me, it's funny there's no Lebron James ads on a national level regularly.

Been wondering where that big Lebron media blitz is for some time now. Just never comes around.

[cavsfanatic]

I used to like shoes a lot too. I see the hot coloways, but the shoe itself.. I just don't see it as a hot item. Since it's so expensive.. do people buy them to ball? Or more like to walk around now? I feel they're basically a rich kid's item.

I can never see myself balling in a 240 shoe.. basketball shoes are for me to tear down and destroy.. not a luxury item
I usually play in mine a few months after purchase. I honestly like em because they cost so much. Women look at shoes 1st lol. That combined with the colorways = legendary shoes

[Force]

How many players have been more marketable than Shaq?

He had platinum selling albums, movies that made money even though they sucked (how many other players had movies during their career to the same degree?), his shoes were big sellers and even when he went with the cheaper 30 dollar shoes with his dunkmans they were the #1 selling basketball shoe and this was like in 2005 already, over 6 million sold in 1 year. Shaq had videogames etc. Some of you weren't even born so maybe don't realize it.

It's laughable that some people are say Kobe was more marketable than Shaq. LOL.

[Ronaldinho]

How many players have been more marketable than Shaq?

He had platinum selling albums, movies that made money even though they sucked (how many other players had movies during their career to the same degree?), his shoes were big sellers and even when he went with the cheaper 30 dollar shoes with his dunkmans they were the #1 selling basketball shoe and this was like in 2005 already, over 6 million sold in 1 year. Shaq had videogames etc. Some of you weren't even born so maybe don't realize it.

It's laughable that some people are say Kobe was more marketable than Shaq. LOL.

Yes, Kobe was. Get outside of US and you will see. Kobe is only behind MJ in that department.

[LongLiveTheKing]

2012 US sales at retail: Lebron $300 million, Rose $25 m, KD $35 m, Kobe $50 M, Howard, $5 m, Wall, $5 m, Jordan $2 billion


Powell is a Sneakerologist for SportsOneSource, the industry leader in sporting goods research and analysis matt@sportsonesource.com Must-Follow Sneaker Writer on Twitter
http://www.sportsonesource.com

I think Lebron is 2nd.

[Euroleague]

I wouldn't go as far as to call him an athletic freak. Dr.J was an athletic freak for his time. Jordan was one, Dominique was one, Vince was one, Lebron is one, Orlando Shaq was one, Young Iverson (I'm missing a few names, but you get the idea). I don't consider Kobe on those guys athletic level so no, to me he's not an athletic freak. Is he a great athlete? Obviously. Either way it's a subjective opinion so not sure it's one worth debating about and it's certainly not revisionist history. I just don't look at Kobe as being some genetic freak and I recall his early days very well.

Kobe was never a top level run and jump athlete. But the problem with the NBA is that it ONLY rates athletic ability as "run and jump". There is a ton more to how athletic you are than just that.

In terms of dexterity, body control, agility........Kobe is freaking off the charts. That's all part of ACTUAL athletic ability. Even though the stupid NBA does not grasp it.

In those athletic aspects, Kobe is completely the top of his era of players.

[Bandito]

:lol

Stans will never let that go
I fixed it for you.

[Dragonyeuw]

Kobe was never a top level run and jump athlete. But the problem with the NBA is that it ONLY rates athletic ability as "run and jump". There is a ton more to how athletic you are than just that.

In terms of dexterity, body control, agility........Kobe is freaking off the charts. That's all part of ACTUAL athletic ability. Even though the stupid NBA does not grasp it.

In those athletic aspects, Kobe is completely the top of his era of players.

Yes, and I said as much that Kobe overall is a great athlete. 'Freak' athlete is reserved for a few and imo he doesn't qualify but its subjective, which Ive also said previously in this thread. Comparing him to Jordan who had all those qualities you mention above (at a higher level than Kobe did)IN ADDITION to the explosive jumping ability, the explosive first step, the catlike reflexes, is why Id call Jordan a freak athlete moreso than Kobe. But was Kobe a great athlete in his prime? Of course he was, Ive never argued otherwise. He's still a great athlete relative to his age.

[BoutPractice]

I wouldn't call him a "freak" athlete like Shaq or LeBron, but he absolutely cannot be mentioned as a player who had to overcome any kind of physical limitations to succeed. If you watch videos of young Kobe, you'll rapidly see that the man was born to be a professional basketball player.

[iggy>]

LMAO op is on bath salts, kobe isnt even the most marketable from his era.

[Soundwave]

Shaq when he came into the league was the biggest thing outside of Jordan.

So much so that Stern blatantly rigged the 1993 NBA Draft so the Magic would win, lol (no one really talks about that).

You literally could not turn on the TV without seeing a Shaq Pepsi ad or Reebok ad. His first rap album actually sold.

Oddly I thought Shaq's stature actually shrank once he went to LA.

I would go LeBron after that. Then probably a toss up between Barkley/Kobe.

Charles Barkley was insanely popular in his prime and well known even to people who didn't care about basketball.

Magic/Bird were probably more marketable than Kobe too. Kobe's endorsements outside of Nike dried up after the 2003 rape allegations. Nintendo, Sprite, McDonalds, etc. never came back.

[FiveRings]

I wouldn't call him a "freak" athlete like Shaq or LeBron, but he absolutely cannot be mentioned as a player who had to overcome any kind of physical limitations to succeed. If you watch videos of young Kobe, you'll rapidly see that the man was born to be a professional basketball player.
Like everyone always says, basketball is a big mans game and you always take a big man with all time great potential over a SG with all time great potential. Shaq and Duncan were half a foot taller than Kobe and that absolutley gave them a built in advantage over someone Kobe's height, which makes what Kobe's done over his career (win more rings than these guys) all the more impressive. Someone like Shaq only had to learn a handfull of go to moves in the post, and the rest of the time he'd back people down with his big ass and dunk on them. Kobe on the other hand, had to learn fifty different ways to score from behind the three point line to everywhere inside it. Shaq absolutely had it easy in comparison to Kobe because of his size.

[B-Low]

I know a lotta people here weren't around or aware back in like 93-94 but if you were you'dk now that Shaq is definitely ahead of Kobe in marketability.

Shaq had a line of toys (Shaq Attack) that included everything from action figures to dolls to travel games to mini hoops and even had a Shaq Attack theme song. Backpacks, folders, comic books, everything.

On top of that there was Shaq Fu, a NON-NBA video game. Yes Kobe had Courtside, but that was just a regular NBA game that they attached his name to. Shaq Fu was a video game made even for a non-basketball crowd

Throw in Kazaam, dozens of commercials, rap albums, and even a tie-in with Disney World and Shaq from 92 to about 96 was possibly the 2nd most marketed player in history

[Chrono90]

Lebron is Nike's most marketable player. Lebron is the face of Nike today, and Lebron's shoes are more popular as well.

Thats because they spend most money on his campaign because he's young and he puts up numbers. But i can't agree his shoes are popular. I rarely see people with Lebron's. Rarely even hear ppl talk about it.