Lakers legend Kobe Bryant donned these Adidas 'Kobe 1' sneakers during a March 19, 2001, game in Atlanta. Kobe posted 27 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists in a 108–106 loss to the Hawks. The Lakers went 56-26 in the regular season to finish as the #1 seed in the Western Conference. Kobe and Shaq would lead L.A. to the second of three consecutive NBA titles. Kobe averaged 28.5 points, 5.9 boards and five dimes per game to earn 2nd Team All NBA honors for the second year in a row. For Sneakerheads, his fifth NBA season marked the first interaction of a Kobe signature model shoe with Adidas.

This all-black pair of Kobe 1s show heavy usage, with abrasions from court wear and scuffs on the soles. Size 13½ Adidas manufacturer labels are affixed inside the tongues of each sneaker, and the laces appear to be the originals. Both toes and heels are heavily worn and have started to deteriorate as Adidas used a rather non-durable material in each section. Each heel is missing a small piece and the toes of the right shoe have chipped off a few tiny pieces as well. These minor deficiencies do little to detract from the pair's overall display quality. Kobe has signed and inscribed the pair "To Marlo" on the outer ankle of the right shoe in 8/10 silver pen. On the inner heel of the left shoe, he has notated the game date  “MARCH 19th 2001" in silver as well.

To our knowledge, these are the only sneakers Kobe wore in that 3/19/2001 game. Getty images 51591591 and 1196657007 show Kobe guarding Tony Kukoc of the Hawks wearing this same style. Due to the all-black colorway, a conclusive photo-match is unlikely from this singular moment in the game. Nevertheless, this is a tremendous pair of Black Mamba gamers from the heart of L.A.'s epic “Three-Peat” run. Includes LOAs from PSA/DNA and Beckett for the Kobe autograph and inscriptions.