Nike Kobe 10 Introduces Pure Gold

The "X" embedded on the sole of the Nike Kobe 10—dubbed the Kobe X upon its Feb. 7, 2015 launch—fittingly came in gold. Gold signified the pursuit of championships that helped define Kobe Bryant's NBA career. He brought that same pursuit to creating performance basketball running shoes in partnership with Nike.

With Eric Avar as its lead designer, Nike's tenth iteration of the Kobe signified a continued willingness to adopt fresh technologies and push the boundaries in basketball running shoe construction. Kobe, who had gone with a super-high silhouette on the initial Kobe 9's design, launched the Kobe 10 in a low-top and brought in a new upper material, cushioning system and outsole design. It all combined to give the Kobe 10 a fresh perspective.

Nike Kobe 10: New Features, Precision Performance

Kobe Bryant was powered by precision. He demanded exactness in his game, and his shoes were no different. "They know when they pick up a Kobe shoe, it is purposeful," he said to Sports Illustrated. "And it is made to help you perform at your absolute best." It's no surprise then that the Kobe 10's focus was on technical innovation.

After exploring lightweight Flyknit material in the Kobe 9 (and going back to it in the later versions of the Kobe 10 and again in the Kobe 11), the launch of the Kobe 10 featured an engineered textile upper with a mesh bootie inside for a snug fit. The open-weave textile, inspired by sharkskin, brought incredible strength and breathability. It also featured other stellar performance features:

Hybrid cushioning system with full-length Lunarlon foam
Zoom Air unit in the heel, something Kobe said helped improve comfort as he aged
Carbon fiber shank in the forefoot that stabilizes the foot during forceful movements
Durable rubber outsole with a translucent rubber casing that shows off the technology inside and features a new traction formula that uses hundreds of nodules to grip the court—similar to tread performance on a race car tyre—while flexing in conjunction with the midsole design

Kobe didn't leave Flyknit entirely out of the Kobe 10, bringing it back for the Kobe X Elite version, a high-top version, and an exclusive HTM low collaboration pack. "Let's take some of the most innovative technologies and morph them into one shoe," Kobe said. "Not supposed to work? Let's make them work together."

Collectability and Value of the Nike Kobe 10

Expect the HTM versions of the Kobe 10 Elite to draw the most attention–and money–from the Kobe 10 line. With four colourways, Shark Jaw, Racecar, Arrowhead and Oreo, the designs often yield $AUD650^1* or more on resale sites.

The Kobe 10 Elite High What The is often the priciest high-top version available, but any of the Kobe 10 colourways can demand between $AUD390 and $AUD650^2* on the resale market, depending on the colourway and size. Ever since the January 2020 passing of Kobe Bryant, resale prices for any Kobe product have increased as fans and running shoe enthusiasts look to have a piece of the legendary player's history.

¹Australian Price indication converted from US$500.
²Australian Price indication converted from US$500.
^*All prices are based on historical eBay data. Actual selling price of items not guaranteed and may vary.

Nike Kobe 10 Takes Colour to New Heights

The Nike Kobe 10 launched in the 5am Flight colourway, which signified the superstar's drive to recover from Achilles surgery. The blue colourway signifies Bryant's 40-foot dive into a pool early one morning in August 2013 to push past any fears of recovering. "It means commitment," he said. "Waking up at 5 am to do anything is hard. But I get up at 5 am and I train."

Every colourway has a story, often using vibrant colours to illustrate it. While the outsole remained translucent and the upper is usually solid, designer Eric Avar brought bold patterns into the shoe, specifically on the tongue's inside. And carrying along a graphic started with the Kobe 9, four red stitches on the left heel of the Kobe 10 represent the four feet of thread surgeons used to repair Kobe's Achilles.

Beyond the 5am Flight, the Nike Kobe 10 offered a laundry list of colours like Pain, Silk, All Star, Blackout, Fundamentals, Mambacurial, Christmas and high Flyknit versions dubbed Rose Gold, American and Opening Night. There are also exclusive models (if you can find them), such as:

Commander—a tribute to then-President Barack Obama in team colours from the Commander in Chief's high school in Honolulu
What The—a high-top with a multi-coloured Flyknit upper, reflective silver Swoosh, speckled midsole and translucent sole
HTM collab—a pack of four special-edition releases representing a collaboration between designer Hiroshi Fujiwara, Nike footwear legend Tinker Hatfield and then-Nike CEO Mark Parker

Nike Kobe 10: a Legend On and Off the Court

The Nike Kobe 10 was the shoe Bryant was wearing on the court when he announced his retirement. It wouldn't be his last, but he used the design to show off his pursuit of championships. "The gold sole, I'm not playing to be second, not playing to be third," he said during the shoe's release. "I'm not playing to be this close to number one; I want to be number one. When I put on those shoes and I walk, that is the path I'm walking down."

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Nike Kobe 10 Athletic Shoes for Men

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