Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Madison Square Garden. It’s just as surreal to type as it was to see, what with a sitting head of state in attendance and either a coronation or a heartbreaker in the balance on the hardwood. Sadly for the New York Knicks faithful, the series swung to the latter, and what could’ve been an all-but-guaranteed clincher on the franchise’s first NBA championship in a generation is now anything but squared away.
Captain Clutch made sure to meet the moment when it came to footwear at the very least, donning a gradient-rich colorway of the Nike Kobe 6 for the first Finals game in the Mecca. Taking a similar foundation to his “Statue of Liberty” pair, it’s the Swoosh and sole where this one breaks loose, delivering Knicks-approved orange in a fiery ombre below and mismatched navy/orange branding across the medial and lateral sides. It’s those Bockers-like flares that remind us so heavily of the Kobe 5 “NY v. NY,” one we and other outlets initially ascribed as a Brunson exclusive before wider launch details surfaced.
Zooming out, these Finals have been surprisingly devoid of sneaker headlines. No doubt much of that owes to how young the Spurs are; though Victor Wembanyama will become a signature athlete as soon as it’s feasible, there are no athletes on San Antonio’s roster outside of De’Aaron Fox who lace up their own design. The same goes for these Knicks, with Brunson famously eschewing a shot at a sig shoe to remain the face of the Kobe brand.
It’s currently unclear whether this “NY v. NY” style Nike Kobe 6 will indeed remain solely in Cap’s closet, or if they’ll hit public hands. For now, check in-game shots below.
