The Kobe 4: The Low-Top That Became Gospel on the Basketball Court.
Written by Brandon Pulmano
Founder | Sideline Society Media
Kobe 4: Gold Medal
Kobe 4: Carpe Diem
Kobe 4: Draft Day
Kobe 4: Prelude
Kobe 4: MLK
In 2008 the Kobe 4s designed by Eric Avar changed the history of basketball shoes. The Kobe 4 will always be an iconic basketball shoe. Since the Kobe 2, Kobe Bryant has been heavily involved in his shoe line. For his fourth signature shoe he wanted something different. Kobe wanted a better range of motion for his foot something a high top couldn’t provide him. He also wanted a lighter sleeker shoe similar to a soccer boot. As a kid Kobe grew up in Italy playing soccer which sparked this idea for the 4s.
The pushback started before the shoe ever hit a court. For years the sport treated a high top as gospel. More ankle coverage meant more protection, at least that’s what the though process was back then. Kobe and Avar went a different route. In a 2009 interview with Sole Collector's Nick DePaula, Avar and the Nike team dismissed the idea outright. They insisted on a low-cut silhouette built around heel lockdown and a foot hugging fit that could deliver more stability than high top shoes. Kobe wasn't a passenger in that decision. He was the one pushing it alongside Avar. In a separate conversation with DePaula, Bryant explained the low-top request went back roughly a year and a half before release.
The Kobe 4s are one of my most worn hoop shoes. Once I broke in my Kobe 4s the phylon midsole and a large volume Zoom Air unit in the heel felt great on feet. These shoes also have multi-directional herringbone and modified traction patterns which perform great on court.
After hooping in the 4s for years the only downside is the lockdown and containment of the shoe after wear and tear. The Kobe 4’s best colorways include the gold medals, carpe diem, draft day, lakers undefeated collab, preludes and mlk colorways. Overall the Kobe 4’s are a beautiful well designed shoe that performs at a high level. It changed the way basketball players viewed a low cut shoe. I look forward to more colorways protroing in the future. The Kobe 4 will go down in basketball history as the shoe that pioneered the low cut revolution.
Sources: Reporting and interviews via Nick DePaula, "Kobe Bryant // Kobe IV," Sole Collector Magazine, Issue 26 (2009), nickdepaula.com.
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