Kicks

Candace Parker Pays Tribute to Kobe & Gigi Bryant

Candace Parker wore Kobe Bryant's retro adidas sneakers before a WNBA game.

Pat Benson

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On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Sparks hosted the Las Vegas Aces. The highly anticipated WNBA matchup also served as a homecoming for Candace Parker, who spent 12 seasons playing for the Sparks.

Before the game, Parker used her platform to pay tribute to the late-great Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi Bryant. Thanks to the Aces' social media team, we got a good look at Parkers' tunnel fit.

Parker wore a replica of Gigi's white and black AAU jersey. The jersey was recently released in very limited quantities alongside the Nike Kobe 4 Protro 'Gigi' earlier this month.

Toeing the company line, Parker wore retro adidas sneakers that were part of Kobe's signature line over 20 years. Below is what fans need to know about the iconic basketball shoes.

adidas Crazy 1

Side view of Kobe Bryant's white and black adidas shoes.
Detailed look at the adidas Crazy 1 sneakers / adidas

Throughout 2022, fans were treated to a steady stream of new and OG colorways of the adidas Crazy 1. The futuristic model was originally called the "adidas The Kobe" before the Lakers star bought himself out of his adidas contract in 2002.

Last night, Parker wore the adidas Crazy 1 'Stormtrooper,' which was released in July 2022 for $140. The shoes have since sold out and now have an average resale price of $182 on StockX.

Additionally, there is still one Lakers-inspired colorway left in stock on the adidas website. Unfortunately, the German brand regularly releases the retro model every few years, so time is running out for fans to purchase the kicks this time around.

As for Parker, she seems to be fitting in just fine with her new teammates in Las Vegas. The Aces won last night to improve to 2-0 on the season. Stay locked into FanNation Kicks for all your sneaker coverage.

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Rankings: DeMar DeRozan's ten best Kobe sneakers of the 2022-23 NBA season.

Published
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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