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Kobe Bryant and Nike Release New ‘Kobe Bryant Day’ Jersey, Shoes

Stephanie Barbaran
Photo by KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/AP/REX/Shutterstock (6408720a)BRYANT Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe bryant goes up for a shot against Minnesota Timberwolves' Mark Madsen during the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, in Los AngelesTIMBERWOLVES LAKERS, LOS ANGELES, USA.
Photo by KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/AP/REX/Shutterstock (6408720a)BRYANT Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe bryant goes up for a shot against Minnesota Timberwolves' Mark Madsen during the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, in Los AngelesTIMBERWOLVES LAKERS, LOS ANGELES, USA.

If you thought you had checked everything off your back-to-school shopping list, think again. The hottest new kicks from Lakers legend Kobe Bryant were released by Nike on Aug. 24, 2018 — aka Kobe Bryant Day for his jersey numbers 8 and 24 — along with a new Kobe jersey that’s part of the 2018-2019 uniform redesign, reported Vox-owned sports fan site SB Nation. Your kids — or you — will have to wait, however, as the online ordering competition heats up.

The shoes sold out within hours of the launch but the jersey is available for pre-order and costs the same as fellow GOAT contender and new Laker LeBron James’ jersey — $109.99.

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Nike tweeted images of the Kobe A.D. shoes, which are still on Nike.com listed at $140:

The new jersey is available through Nike, the Lakers’ and NBA online stores and other retail sites. Nike tweeted pre-order information for the Kobe Bryant Icon Edition Swingman jersey:

Kobe Makes $16 Million Off Shoes, Far Behind James and Jordan

Nike has been one of Bryant’s biggest business partners, helping increase his $350 million net worth past his retirement. Their first deal was for $10-million-per-year starting in 2003, and then they launched Bryant’s signature shoe line in 2005. The Kobe A.D. was first released in November 2016, followed by additional versions like a black-and-gold edition similar to Bryant’s black-and-gold City Edition Swingman jersey.

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Bryant retired from basketball in 2016, but has focused on business ventures like the Kobe Bryant Collection, performance-boosting shoes and other branded apparel and equipment. In the GOAT race of shoe sales, however, he’s lagging. According to Forbes, Michael Jordan still tops shoe sales at $110 million, followed by LeBron James at $32 million, Keven Durant at $25 million, and then Bryant at $16 million as of June 2017.

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Sean Dennison contributed to the reporting for this article.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Kobe Bryant and Nike Release New ‘Kobe Bryant Day’ Jersey, Shoes