Zoom Kobe Vs

This shoe make me uneasy for a few reasons. It's the Zoom Kobe V X. The feelings are easily explained if you know me:

• I'm a Boston Celtics fan, not a LA Lakers fan.
• Kobe Bryant is playing on the wrong team.
• These shoes are what Kobe wore when he led the LA Lakers to win the 2010 championship against the Boston Celtics.
  

I don't hate the Lakers, but I do enjoy the rivalry. I believe that Magic Johnson (one of their most celebrated players) is one of the most entertaining and intense players I have ever seen play the game of basketball, and his off-court presence was that of a likable (but flawed) person. If you don't believe me, you should see him in the Larry Bird retirement video.

Unfortunately, Kobe is similar to Magic. He is an intense competitor, and also has an off-court presence that is of a likable (but flawed) person. His shoes reflect that aspect of Kobe. They have a very good foot holding feel, and provide great feedback form the floor, but I believe they are flawed when it comes to the traction. This should not be noticed by the majority of people that end up buying this shoe, as it would most likely be worn casually, or in my case, not worn at all (my observations before was based on trying the shoe on at the shop). The shoe is light, and very responsive. It is a great performance shoe - even though it represents a team I dislike.

Visually, the shoe is a great representation of the Lakers colours - the purple and the yellow. The detail incorporated pays tribute to Kobe in different ways, from his initials, to his signature, to his number "24". There is also a dot-matrix code near the outrigger near the toebox of the shoe that spells out the word "HEART". There is an electric / lightning looking pattern surrounding the toebox, as well as clear indication of the use of Flywire on the shoe's upper. The sole has a strange pattern on it, which as I mentioned before I do not think aids traction, but through it, the carbon fiber shank can be clearly seen. Kitty Kat's father Pappa-P told me he does not like flashy shoes, but found these acceptable.

This shoe was purchased at the Nike Factory Outlet, on Smith Street, Collingwood, in Victoria, Australia. I do not know why this shoe would be in the sale section at a reduced price, but it was, and I benefited from that. It can also be found in limited supplies on ebay.com.