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Slimy Kobe Trying to Rip People off

I have been a fan of Kobe Bryant's game ever since I saw him in the 1999 playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs. While I have always enjoyed his creativity, skill and finesse, my perception of the man has never been glamourous. He is selfish and narcisstic beyond I can defend, even though I have for many many years. Almost everything he does on the court has a certain motive which is rarely wholesome.

What ticks me off about Kobe now is his latest marketing ploy for his Nike shoes. His official website claims that he wore his Nike Hyperdunks (which came out in the middle of 2008) until December 16, 2008. At that point, he switched to the new (and not-yet-released) Nike ZKIVs.

Here are his stats with the Hyperdunks and ZKIVs.

24 GAMES WITH HYPERDUNK: OCTOBER 28 – DECEMBER 16
PPG: 25.0
FG%: 46.1
3-PT%: 29.5

12 GAMES WITH ZKIV: DECEMBER 19 – JANUARY 11
PPG: 30.8
FG%: 52.0
3-PT%: 48.9

They go on to say:
His game has been elevated to amazing new heights over the past month, and the increased production corresponds exactly with the introduction of his new sneaker.

Coincidence? Obviously there are a variety of factors that play into statistical trends, but you simply can’t deny the staggering numbers Kobe has generated over the past 12 games while wearing the Nike Zoom Kobe IVs.
To attribute the vast difference in his stats to the kind of shoes he wore is so dishonest and crude it makes me very angry. There is little cause and effect relationship between shoes and efficiency, yet Kobe and Nike have no problem trying to profit from an artificial correlation. I pity the sucker who would spend (or cost his Mommy) $150 on a pair of ZKIVs expecting his game to improve vastly.

There is no way in hell a $100-$150 pair of shoes improve the efficiency of a $20-million-making NBA star by 20%!! The stats have a lot more to do with his shot selection, the quality of Lakers opponents during each span, Lakers home-heavy schedule in the 12 games with the ZKIV. It would not surprise me one bit if Kobe sabotaged some games to skew his stats such that they point to a correlation between his shoes and scoring efficiency.

Another reason the correlation between Kobe's shoes and scoring efficiency is fake is that he has had so many stretches in his career where his efficiency is high for extended periods of time and low for others. The one consistent stat is that he shoots 45+/-2% from the field every year. Whether he is wearing Addidas or Nike, latest Hyperdunks or Zooms, Kobe is bound to take bad shots, make some incredible ones and miss some easy ones.

So, for Kobe and Nike to exploit the fake correlation between Kobe's shoes and scoring is as disingenous and fake as Kobe himself. That is why, while I have been enamored by Kobe's game, I have never trusted or put much passion on the man and what he represents.

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