Jaylen Brown took to the court Saturday night wearing a pair of the Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Reverse Grinch.” Although the sneaker has been a common sight in the NBA this season, what sets Brown’s apart is a custom paint job honoring Kobe and Gigi Bryant.
Each quarter panel in the pair featured a custom graphic, including portraits two portraits of Kobe and his daughter on the shoe’s lateral sides. The left shoe features a black and white shot of the two in uniform seen from the rear with Gig’s hand around Kobe’s waist. The right then features both Bryants biting their jerseys, a tick Kobe was known for. Across the to medial sides, “In loving memory of Kobe and Gigi” is written out in cursive.
Miami based shoe customizer Marcus Rivero, who goes by “SolesBySir” on Instagram, customized the sneakers for Brown. Rivero is best known for creating customized cleats for NFL players, but he’s made shoes on a regular basis for Brown, as well as a number of MLB players.
In an Instagram post from Christmas Day, Rivero said he made the shoes for the Celtics’ holiday matchup against its historic rival Los Angeles Lakers. Brown didn’t wear the shoes until Saturday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, however, and he instead wore another pair of the Kobe 6 Protro “Reverse Grinch” customized without a Nike Swoosh.
As has become standard for Brown, his the Kobe 6s from the weekend were also customized to remove the Swoosh. Brown previously criticized Nike for ending its partnership with Kyrie Irving after Irving posted a documentary featuring antisemitism to social media and dragged his feet before eventually denouncing the views. Although Brown has continued to wear the brand’s sneakers, he does so without their primary branding.
The Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Reverse Grinch” released in December with a colorway serving as an inverse to the original Kobe 6 “Grinch” worn by Bryant on Christmas Day in 2010. For the shoe’s 10 year anniversary, the Kobe 6 Protro “Reverse Grinch” released in December 2020.
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
