Most of you who are reading this right now are probably sneakerheads. And, if you are a sneakerhead, chances are you probably tried to purchase the Kobe 8 “Halo” drop on Nike’s SNKRS app today.
For those of you who aren’t in the know, don’t worry. I’ve got you.
Earlier this year, Nike announced that it’d be relaunching the “Kobe Brand” ahead of Bryant’s birthday, which is August 23rd. Nike chose to initiate this reboot with a retro version of one of Bryant’s most popular basketball sneakers.
The brand called it the “Halo” colorway. It’s an all-white sneaker created in partnership with Vanessa Bryant to honor Kobe’s birthday each year.
✅ Engineered mesh upper
✅ Pebble-grain leather overlay
✅ React foam insoleIn partnership with Vanessa Bryant, the 'Halo' colorway concept and launch was created as a way to honor Kobe's birthday each year.
Arriving globally August 23 in SNKRS, the 'Halo' concept will be an… pic.twitter.com/ZVydslMPXN
— Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball) August 22, 2023
For so many people, these shoes mean so much. Not just those shoes linked above, but Bryant’s sneakers in general.
It’s just one of the few ways they still get to connect with their fallen idol that they so tragically and abruptly lost three years ago. That’s why it’s so frustrating to see how hard it still is to purchase these shoes. Since Bryant’s death, resellers have been scooping up the limited supply of Kobe shoes and charging top dollar for them. Unfortunately, that hasn’t changed with time. Three years ago, we talked about this being a problem. We did the same last year, too. Today, it’s the same thing. It’s so sad because it doesn’t have to be this way.
Nike limits these drops intentionally. Ahead of the release, Vanessa Bryant was candid about why the stock was short on this one.
“Nike wanted this debut Halo Collection to be limited and collectable [sic] but the good news is Nike is working towards more units for future Kobe releases! The “Kobe Halo” collection debuts on Kobe’s birthday tomorrow, collect all future Halo releases to celebrate this special day every year.”
The “Halo” drop is coming every year with different Kobe models. In her words, Nike wanted the sneakers to be “collectible.” That’s why they’re being kept limited.
But something about that just doesn’t feel right, does it?
As a sneakerhead myself, I’m well aware of what the game is. Collecting is certainly part of it all. That’s the thrill of it. There’s nothing like hunting down your favorite shoe and finally making it part of your collection.
But this is not just a sneaker. It’s something more meaningful than that to a lot of people out there. And, for years, those people have been playing this game of cat and mouse with Nike.
We chide the resellers for taking advantage of Kobe’s death and making a profit off of it, but isn’t Nike doing the same thing? The company has quite literally gamified Kobe’s legacy in the form of a sneaker. It dangles a carrot out in front of Bryant’s fans over and over again, knowing they’ll keep coming back and trying just for a chance to have a piece of Kobe to themselves. It feels so cruel.
There are a couple of solutions here. First, Nike can stop doing this. Kobe’s have been enough of a struggle for people. The brand doesn’t need to make it even more of one. I’d almost rather not see these drops happening at all than see people struggling with them the way they do.
Consumers can’t depend on Nike, though. So the real solution for regular folks out there is to simply stop trying.
Having a Kobe shoe would be nice. But having these sneakers won’t make you any more or less a fan of the Laker legend than you already were in the first place. This isn’t something you need. It’s only a want.
When you finally realize and accept that, the problem goes away.