Bryant wasn’t a fan, and he wanted out. …

Bryant wasn’t a fan, and he wanted out. He paid back millions to Adidas as part of a complicated break clause and agreed to play the entire 2002-03 season without a shoe deal. Bryant couldn’t even wear the same brand three games in a row — leading to the first-ever period of “sneaker free agency” for a star player. Bryant rotated through an exclusive batch of Laker-hued sneakers from the likes of Jordan, Nike, Converse, Reebok and AND1 until he landed a four-year, $40 million deal with Nike. “It was like when Harry Potter landed in Hogwarts. He was home,” Bryant said years ago, with a laugh.