Aaron Kr. 
Before Kobe Bryant got his own sig with Nike, the Black Mamba was wearing some sick Air Jordan PEs like the Air Jordan III, VII, VIII, and many more. It was one of those Be-Like-Mike eras for Kobe Bryant, when he, despite scoring 25 a game, was still not fully matured. Today, some NBA historians/fans/experts place Kobe Bryant on par with Michael, like sneaker-customizer Lazy, who transformed a pair of Air Jordan IVs into an Air Mamba IV by throwing on some black denim, snakeskin, and Laker purple-and-yellow accents. Special tongue labels with an embroidered silhouette of Kobe’s visage and name take place of the Jordan ‘Flight’ patch, and Kobe’s shozoku logo is also placed on the upper ankle.
The upper netting and tongue fabric is replaced with purple jersey mesh material, and the lace-wings have been filled in with a vibrant yellow. Partial speckling of the midsole as well as frayed denim sectionals on the upper are also part of the Black Mamba IV, but on the heel, the Jordan Jumpman stands firm. A special custom Jordan box was made, replacing the “JORDAN” insignia with “BLKMBA”. So what’s your interpretation of this work of art? Is it symbolizing Kobe’s respect for Jordan or perhaps representing Kobe and Jordan as equals? Lazy’s Black Mamba IV is definitely up there in terms of degree of difficulty, so take a look at the detailed shots after the jump and let us know what you think.
