Nike Basketball News

The Collection 3.0: Nike Zoom Kobe V iD KidHollywood

TheLetterJ — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 19:55:10 GMT

No purchase required. Enter. Win. With thousands of designs in between. Legal US residents 13 or older had from 12:01 AM on March 2 to 11:59 PM on March 9 to submit their customized Nike Zoom Kobe V iD. One lucky winner would take home an autographed pair of the winning shoes, receive a ticket to the Lakers vs. Trail Blazers game on April 11, round trip airfare and hotel accommodations. Kobe picked the winner. This is his story.

Jason Hamilton (twitter.com/kidhollywood) is 28 years old. Like most twenty-somethings born and raised in the Los Angeles area, he's just old enough to remember the "Showtime" Lakers.

"I want to say it was 1987 or 1988. I started following sports, really getting into them. And as a little kid growing up in LA, I just tried to watch the Lakers every time they were on TV."

For young Jason, the Lakers became appointment viewing.

"I absolutely fell in love with their tempo. It was run and gun - and they won."

Kobe

"I actually started following Kobe in high school. I was just starting high school myself, had friends that played basketball and just enjoyed following the other good players all around the country. Seeing Kobe's highlights on TV, I liked his game even then."

But Jason was hooked on more than highlight-reel dunks.

"His tenacity - even back then - he was really brining it. It seemed like all he wanted to do was win."

Kobe to LA

"There are some players that just come in (to the league) and sparkle. And Kobe seemed to have that aura about him from the first time I saw him in a Lakers uniform. With Kobe it was even more special - because back then, high school kids being drafted was still kind of new."

It's safe to say Jason believed Kobe would one day become a superstar.

"Even when he struggled early, it showed. But the first moment I remember thinking of him like that came in the playoffs against the Spurs in 1999. He wanted to take over and be the leader. He showed that he could take over in spurts."

Kobe's tenacity continued to make a mark on Jason.

"Just his will to win. Growing up in LA when I did, the Lakers were always really good throughout the 'Showtime' era. So you have to have that will to win - and Kobe obviously did."

The Contest

"Once I learned there was a NIKEiD contest to design a shoe that Kobe would actually wear in a game, I had to be a part of it. I'd designed iD shoes before - the Zoom Kobe IV. And of course, I had to put 'Showtime' on the back of those."

Nike

"I've been a Nike fan since I was a little kid. The first shoes I can even remember wearing were Nikes."

The reason?

"Style. Pure style. I like a little bit of flash - and Nike just never seemed to make anything that was bland."

His Design

"I wanted to get some information - when Kobe was going to be wearing them, who they were playing against, what jerseys they were going to be wearing. I thought a lot about the style side of it: it just had to match. It's easy to go off and create some crazy shoe with crazy colors."

Jason's ultimate design barometer?

"The fact that they were going to be playing on Sunday, at home - that means the white-on-whites."

The second design guideline was more subtle.

"It also needed to match Kobe's personality - how he shines on the court. That's why I picked the Metallic Silver: I wanted this shoe to be an extension of the way he plays."

The final detail?

"The 'ice' sole represents the ice in Kobe's veins that allows him to hit big shots when his team needs it the most."

An Autographed Pair

"That's just surreal. The people that I've told about it are even more excited than I am! But I'm super excited. A hero of mine is wearing shoes that I designed and on top of that, he's going to sign them!"

And that makes them a borderline family heirloom.

"There's no way I'm ever giving these up. It's something from my heart that I'll pass down to my children one day."

The Game

"This will be my sixth Lakers game this season. And so far, I've seen five victories."

It's special for another reason, too.

"It's my sister's birthday. So she's probably even more excited than I am."

What's next?

"I can't believe that I get to design another pair - I didn't know that I'd also have the opportunity to design my own. But I've already got another pair of shoes coming that I designed a few weeks ago - so I'll just get my own pair of the design I made for Kobe."

All that's left is getting a handle on all that excitement.

"It's really unbelievable. Out of all the people who entered the contest, I actually won. I'm ecstatic! It's actually very cool for my family - everyone's able to tell their friends, 'my brother or my son designed these shoes so you have to watch the game!' - so they've been having a really good time with it."

"It's really an honor. Kobe's one of the greatest players of all-time. It's all about the shoes, it's not about me."

In addition to the Black Mamba, look for many of the Lakers to wear the Nike Zoom Kobe V iD KidHollywood, including Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown, Josh Powell and Luke Walton.

If you want to pick up a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe V iD KidHollywood for yourself, or customize a pair of your own, check out NIKEiD.com now.

The Collection: Zoom Kobe IV iD Lakers Edition

GoodN81 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:40:46 GMT

It wasn’t just Kobe's kicks that were different last Thursday night.

During the 100-75 rout of the Orlando Magic, the supporting cast of The Lake Show could be seen dominating both sides of the court wearing NikeiD Zoom Kobe IVs, customized specifically for the NBA Finals.

On route to an important game 1 victory, the unstoppable teamwork of Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Josh Powell and Shannon Brown was intensified by the one-of-a-kind combination of purple and yellow on a gleaming white base.

Next Tuesday, when the squad laces up in Orlando they’ll be sporting their Kobe IVs in a colorway designed for the road, also customized through NikeiD. Both styles are available for purchase or you can create your own at NikeiD.