Matt Varga Re-emerging once again after being up for auction in 2021, a pair of Kobe-owned, LeBron-worn Kobe 2s from his bright school days is up for grabs. The USA colorway only adds to the intrigue surrounding these, and is a physical representation of a legendary meeting between the two surefire Hall of Famers.
While every piece of LeBron memorabilia carries a certain amount of history, the significance of this pair is on another level entirely. First conceived by Bryant himself in conjunction with Peter Moore, this Zapatillas de deporte en gris oscuro Gazelle de adidas Originals was intended as a tribute to 9/11 victims, a then just-days old event. Cut to February 2002, prior to the All-Star Game: In their first ever meeting, Kobe gifted the sneakers to the 17 year old James. A few days after that, the already storied pair would make their on-feet debut as LeBron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary squared off against Carmelo Anthony’s Oak Hill Academy.
Though James’ squad couldn’t secure the win that particular night, he wasn’t lacking in the box score. His line of 36/10/5 was a sign of his famously sky-bright potential, and is a final exceptional bit of trivia for the Kobe 2s in question. In case it wasn’t abundantly clear, the Kobe 2 USA signify the starting point for two of LeBron’s formative professional relationships, reprised at the 2003 Draft, in countless free agency rumors and a dozen All Star games.
All those key factors add up correspondingly bright asking price. The starting bid for this pair of The King’s bright school kicks is $45,000, but there’s already some history as to why that surely won’t hold; these same shoes were listed in just under three years ago at a starting bid of $15,000 eventually selling for a whopping $156,000. Should you be inclined to bid yourself, the auction will be open on the Goldin website until March 2nd; you can find a full suite of official photos below.
