The year was 1996. A skinny kid from Lower Merion High School skipped college to go straight to the league. Most people remember Kobe Bryant as the face of Nike, the guy with the Mamba logo and the low-cut sneakers that changed the game. But before the swoosh, there was the three stripes. Honestly, the era of adidas basketball shoes Kobe wore is one of the weirdest, most polarizing, and creatively daring periods in sneaker history. It wasn't just about playing basketball. It was about Audi-inspired car designs on your feet. It was about feet-shaped outsoles that looked like something out of a sci-fi flick.
You can't talk about Kobe's legacy without acknowledging that he started as the "Elevation" guy.
He won the 1997 Dunk Contest wearing the EQT Elevation. It was purple. It was loud. It looked like a tank. While Nike was leaning into sleekness and elegance with Jordan, adidas was doing something completely different with Kobe. They were experimenting. They were failing forward. Some of those shoes are now considered grails, while others, like the Kobe 2, are still mocked by collectors for looking like a toaster or a space-age slipper.
The Feet You Wear Era: Science or Just Marketing?
In the late 90s, adidas pushed a technology called "Feet You Wear" (FYW). The concept was actually pretty simple: shoes should mimic the natural shape of the human foot to prevent ankle rolls. Instead of a flat sole, FYW shoes had rounded edges and wider outsoles. Kobe was the poster child.
The KB8—now known as the Crazy 8—is arguably the most famous result of this partnership. It’s bulky. It’s got that zigzag midsole that screams 90s nostalgia. You’ve probably seen it on shelves recently because adidas keeps retro-ing it, and people keep buying it. Why? Because it actually performs. Even today, hoopers find that the traction on the Crazy 8 holds up better than some modern "performance" shoes that cost twice as much. It’s rare to see a design from nearly 30 years ago still being used for actual high-level basketball, but Kobe's first signature shoe does exactly that.
Then came the KB8 II and KB8 III. They got progressively weirder. The KB8 III utilized a "3D" version of Feet You Wear that felt more like an extension of the body than a piece of equipment. It’s kinda funny looking back at how much technology they crammed into these. They used a lot of mesh, a lot of patent leather, and that iconic "Feet You Wear" face logo that looked like a little cartoon mascot.
But things changed when the new millennium hit. adidas decided to pivot. They moved away from the organic shapes of FYW and toward something industrial.
The Audi Collaboration: When Cars Met the Court
If you want to see where the relationship between Kobe and adidas started to fracture, look no further than The Kobe. No, not the Kobe 1. Just "The Kobe."
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Released in 2000, it was designed in collaboration with Audi. Specifically, it took cues from the Audi TT Roadster. It was a boxy, synthetic, monochromatic brick of a shoe. It looked nothing like a basketball sneaker. People either loved it because it was futuristic or hated it because it looked like a moon boot. It was a massive hit initially. Kobe won his first championship in them. That image of him crying in the locker room while holding the trophy? He’s wearing the white Audi-inspired adidas basketball shoes Kobe made famous.
But then came the sequel. The Kobe 2.
It was a disaster.
The Kobe 2 took the car aesthetic to an extreme. It was even more shroud-like, even less breathable, and reportedly, Kobe himself hated playing in them. Imagine trying to sprint and cut on a hardwood floor while wearing a literal box. He eventually swapped back to the original Kobe 1 for the 2002 NBA Finals. Not long after that, Kobe paid about $8 million to get out of his contract with adidas. He spent a year as a "sneaker free agent," wearing everything from Jordans to Reeboks to AND1s, before eventually signing with Nike.
Why the adidas Kobe Line is Seeing a Massive Resurgence
You’d think a partnership that ended on such a sour note would be forgotten. It hasn’t been. In fact, the market for adidas basketball shoes Kobe once wore is exploding. Part of this is the "Mamba Forever" sentiment. After Kobe’s passing in 2020, fans began hunting for every piece of his history. But there's more to it than just grief or nostalgia.
Modern sneaker design has become... well, a bit boring.
Everything is a lightweight mesh upper with a generic foam midsole. When you look at the "Crazy" line (which is what adidas calls the Kobe retros since they no longer own the rights to his name), you see personality. You see risks. You see designs that don't look like anything else on the court.
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- The Crazy 8 (KB8): Still a staple in street culture and high school basketball.
- The Crazy 97 (EQT Elevation): The holographic "8" on the side is a time capsule of 90s tech.
- The Crazy 1 (The Kobe): The "Sunshine" yellow colorway is still one of the most recognizable shoes in any gym.
Collectors are paying a premium for these. It's not just about the "Kobe" association; it's about the era of experimental design. adidas wasn't afraid to be ugly. Sometimes, "ugly" becomes "iconic" if you wait long enough.
The Performance Reality: Can You Actually Play in These?
Let’s be real for a second. If you’re a serious player, are these better than a pair of modern Kobes or New Balance Two Wxy?
Probably not.
The materials in the 90s were heavy. Synthetic leather doesn't breathe. The cushioning—usually "Adiprene"—is firm. It doesn't have the "bounce" or energy return of modern foams like Lightstrike or Zoom Air. If you have knee issues, playing 40 minutes in a pair of Crazy 1s might feel like you're jumping on concrete.
However, the lockdown is incredible. Because these shoes were built like tanks, your foot doesn't move. The wide bases provide a level of lateral stability that many modern "sock-like" shoes lack. I’ve talked to several semi-pro players who swear by the Crazy 8 for outdoor courts because the rubber outsole is incredibly durable. It won't shred on asphalt after three games like most $160 sneakers today.
Misconceptions About the Breakup
There’s a common story that Kobe left because the Kobe 2 was ugly. That’s a simplified version of the truth. While the shoe was definitely a factor, the real issue was a shift in branding and vision. Kobe wanted to be the next Jordan. He wanted a brand that felt premium, sleek, and global. adidas, at the time, was leaning hard into "Feet You Wear" and then "A3" and "Mechanical" cushioning.
The vibes didn't match.
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Kobe felt the shoes were holding back his performance. He was a perfectionist. If the shoe felt clunky, it had to go. It’s ironic because years later, Nike would create the "Kobe 9 Elite," a high-top boot that looked almost as wild as some of his adidas designs, proving that Kobe was always down for innovation—it just had to be functional innovation.
Finding These Shoes Today
If you’re looking to pick up a pair of adidas basketball shoes Kobe wore, you have to know what to search for. Since adidas doesn't have the rights to the "Kobe" name for shoes, they use the "Crazy" branding.
- Search for "adidas Crazy 1" if you want the Audi-inspired look.
- Search for "adidas Crazy 8" if you want the classic 1997 Dunk Contest vibes.
- Search for "adidas Crazy 97" if you want the EQT Elevation.
Retail prices usually hover between $120 and $150. On the secondary market like StockX or GOAT, some of the more limited colorways, like the "Vino" pack or specific "All-Star" editions, can go for significantly more.
What This Means for You
Whether you're a hooper looking for a durable outdoor shoe or a collector wanting a piece of history, the adidas Kobe era offers something unique. It represents a time when shoe companies weren't playing it safe. They weren't just making "basketball shoes"; they were making statements.
To get the most out of these classics, keep a few things in mind:
- Size Up on the Crazy 1: The synthetic upper doesn't stretch. If they’re tight at first, they’ll stay tight.
- Outdoor Use: The Crazy 8 is one of the best "retro" shoes for outdoor play due to the thick rubber and herringbone traction.
- Lifestyle Pivot: If you can't handle the weight for actual basketball, these work surprisingly well with streetwear. The bulky "dad shoe" trend actually favors the silhouettes of the early Kobe era.
The adidas era was the "Golden Age" of Kobe's athletic growth. He was Frobe. He was the kid with the afro and the swagger. Every time you lace up a pair of these retros, you're tapping into that specific energy—the raw, unpolished, and hyper-athletic version of one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Go find a pair of the "Sunshine" Crazy 1s. Wear them to a local court. You’ll get looks. Some people will think they’re hideous, and others will ask where you got them. That’s exactly the point. These shoes were never meant to be boring. They were meant to be noticed. In a world of copycat designs, being noticed is the highest compliment a sneaker can get.