8. adidas KB8 “All-Star Game”
Year: 1998
How fitting, at Number 8, the adidas Crazy 8.
Kobe Bryant entered the 1996 season and it only took one year to become an All-Star. One year! He was voted to his first NBA All-Star Game to join the Western Conference squad in 1998. The youngest player (19), to ever make an All-Star Team going up against Michael Jordan on the grandest stage of them all, Madison Square Garden in New York City. Kobe Bryant scored 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist, but unfortunately lost to the Eastern Conference, to no surprise. Michael dropped a game high of 22 and won MVP honors.
Before he was granted that Black Mamba title, Bryant wore the adidas KB8 ASG. The KB8 was renamed later to the Crazy 8 since Kobe joined Nike Basketball. For the All-Star Game, Three Stripes hooked up their 19 year old with these White-Black kicks and the rest was history. To this day, the adidas Crazy 8 goes beyond generations as it still can be seen on foot of many hoopers on and off the court. adidas retroed this colorway for the first time in 2011 and also made a small run a couple years ago.
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The adidas KB8 or Crazy 8, whichever you want to call it, has made a huge impact to the sneaker culture, industry, and especially to us fans. That infamous dunk photo that has NBA legends in the background watching him glide through the air at the ASG is such a nostalgic moment, caught in a moment in time. It doesn’t get anymore classic than this.
