Jalen Brunson Provides Kobe Bryant Day Spirit

While Jalen Brunson is a team player, he broke one high school basketball rule in honor of Kobe Bryant. The New York Knicks All-Star recalled a special moment between the two in 2014. On Kobe Bryant Day, Aug. 24, which represents the two jersey numbers the deceased NBA legend wore with the Los Angeles Lakers. It's fitting Brunson told a story about the "Black Mamba" shoes on such a special day.

“Christmas Day 2014. Lakers in Chicago. Kobe didn't play but he had a pair of Kobe 9s he was gonna wear, the red Christmas Kobe 9s…He literally brought them out the locker room in his hand: ’Here you go’…I was like ‘I'm wearing these next game,'" Brunson recalled .

Although Brunson doesn't have a signature line with Nike, the Knicks All-Star receives special player-edition shoes as an athlete with the prestigious company. Nothing is as unique as the incentive of wearing Bryant-owned shoes.

Bryant understood the imperative nature of taking care of the youth basketball players, and perhaps this was also due to Brunson's NBA affiliation, as his father Rick played in the league from 1998 to 2006.

Regardless of why it happened, Brunson only cared about honoring Bryant by wearing them in a game despite the repercussions.

According to Brunson, his high school coach had a strict rule that athletes couldn't wear colors outside of uniform. Brunson's team colors were green and gold, and the shoes Bryant gifted were red. No team punishment outweighed the opportunity to pay tribute to the NBA legend.

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Although Kobe and his daughter Gianna passed away in 2020, the Bryant Estate signed with Nike and is currently spearheaded by his widow Vanessa, who maintains his shoe business.