Mamba’s out, but his signature kick’s are just getting started. Just one day after Kobe Bryant dropped 60 points in his final game, Nike dropped a tribute shoe in the form of the KOBE 11 Muse Pack.
The Muse pack borrows inspiration from design pioneers including NIKE, Inc. President & CEO Mark Parker, Eric Avar and Tinker Hatfield. Yet, this ain’t some bandwagon tribute, the link between Bryant and the three designers dates back to the Nike Huarache 2K4, the first shoe Kobe wore after signing with Nike in 2003. Each person played a pivotal role in the shoe’s development, and those early days paved the way for the Mamba’s signature line.
The first of the pack to be released is the KOBE 11 Avar Muse. The design reflects Bryant and Avar’s mutual interest in nature, with a focus on Yosemite National Park’s “El Capitan” rock formation. “Nature in its complex simplicity is in a constant state of refinement,” explains Avar.
Learn more about the shoe and hear from Kobe himself after the jump…