NBA and WNBA players evoke 'Mamba Mentality' through Kobe Bryant's signature sneakers

Gilbert McGregor

NBA and WNBA players evoke 'Mamba Mentality' through Kobe Bryant's signature sneakers image

There's no question that Kobe Bryant's influence is felt throughout this current generation of NBA players and the next to come.

Look no further than the feet of players during the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

Turn literally any game on and you'll see at least one player in a pair of Kobe's. From soon-to-release "Protros" to player edition (PE) colourways and a few pairs from the archives, these players have just about all bases covered.

As his birthday tips of "Mamba Week," we take a look at a number of players paying homage to the Black Mamba with their sneaker selection.

Kobe IV

Norman Powell, Kobe IV Protro "Playoff Pack"

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Timothé Luwawu Cabarrot, Kobe IV "Fade to Black"

tlc-kobe-nbae-gettyimages Evan Fournier, Kobe IV Protro "FTB"

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Dorian Finney-Smith, Kobe IV "WIzenard"

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Kobe V

Norman Powell, Kobe V Protro "Bruce Lee"

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Paul Millsap, Kobe V Protro "Chaos"

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Bonus: Torrey Craig in Kobe V Protro "Bruce Lee" Alternate

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kobe V Protro "Chaos" and Anthony Davis, Kobe V Protro "Undefeated 'Unlucky 13'"

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Dwight Howard, Kobe V Protro "5x Champ"

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Khris Middleton, Kobe V Protro "Bucks PE"

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T.J. Warren, Kobe V Protro "Pacers PE"

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Andre Iguodala, Kobe V Protro PE

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Shake Milton, Kobe V Protro "EYBL"

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Landry Shamet, Kobe V Protro "Undefeated 'Dirty Dozen'"

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Tobias Harris, Kobe V "Wolf Gray"

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Danuel House, Kobe V "NBA 2K Chaos"

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LeBron James, Kobe V "Bruce Lee Alternate"

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The W

Kobe Bryant was one of the biggest advocates and fans of WNBA basketball. It's not playoff time in the W just yet, but you'd be hard-pressed to turn on one of their games and not see a pair of Kobe's signature sneakers, either. 

They've been bringing the heat, too.

Allie Quigley, Kobe IV PE

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Kayla McBride, Kobe IV "Undefeated Lakers"

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Sami Whitcomb, Kobe V "Big Stage"

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Candice Dupree, Kobe V "Fever PE"

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Epiphanny Prince, Kobe VII "What The"

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Joyner Holmes, Kobe VIII "Area 72 (All-Star)"

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.