Jaylen Brown Pays Tribute to Kobe and Gigi Bryant with Custom Nike Kobes. During his games, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics has been seen wearing the Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Reverse Grinch” shoes. These shoes hold special significance as they were designed to honor the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi. The unique feature of Brown’s shoes is the hand-drawn pattern on each quarter panel, along with two photos of Kobe and Gigi on the sides.
On the left shoe, there is a black-and-white picture of Kobe and Gigi from behind, both wearing basketball uniforms, with Gigi’s hand on Kobe’s waist. On the right shoe, there are two depictions of the Bryants biting their shirts, a gesture that Kobe was known for. Additionally, the phrase “In loving memory of Kobe and Gigi” is handwritten in the middle of both sides.
The custom shoes were created by Mark Rivero, known as “SolesBySir” on Instagram, who resides in Miami. While Rivero is recognized for making special cleats for NFL players, Brown, along with a few MLB players, regularly wears his shoes.
Rivero mentioned on Instagram that he made the shoes for the Celtics’ holiday game against the Los Angeles Lakers, a historic rivalry. However, Brown didn’t wear them until the game against the Indiana Pacers, opting for a different pair of customized Kobe 6 Protro “Reverse Grinch” shoes earlier. These particular shoes were altered to remove the Nike Swoosh.
Interestingly, Brown’s Kobe 6s no longer feature the Nike Swoosh, which he previously commented on. Brown had criticized Nike for severing ties with Kyrie Irving after Irving posted an anti-Semitic video on social media and didn’t promptly rectify the situation. Despite this, Brown has continued to wear Nike footwear, albeit without the prominent branding.
In December, the Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Reverse Grinch” was released as a counterpart to the original Kobe 6 “Grinch” that Bryant had worn on Christmas Day in 2010. Given that the shoe design was a decade old, the “Reverse Grinch” Kobe 6 Protro was launched in December 2020.