John Kim 
Kobe Bryant took the court this week with a new look that has earned him a new nickname – the Masked Mamba. After suffering a freak injury during the NBA All-Star Game (it was an accident, right Dwyane?), Kobe was forced to get his Rip Hamilton on and wear the clear Zorro mask for the game, but it seemed to bode well for Kobe and the Lakers as they easily handled the energetic Timberwolves by a margin of 19 points. Although it hasn’t been scientifically proven if the mask gave Kobe a boost in performance, we know for sure that this other piece of hardware – the Nike Zoom Kobe VII Elite – will send the Black Mamba to another level of play. Here we have another look at what we call the fully-loaded Kobe VII in the upcoming Black/Gold colorway; it captures that super sports-car with the aggressive midsole, exposed Zoom (like an exhaust), and the carbon-fiber laden heel counter (a spoiler) for a luxurious yet fear-inducing piece of footwear architecture. We’ve got more angles for you below so take a look and stay tuned to Sneaker News for more updates on this third edition of the Kobe VII, which is currently set for an April 20th release. via osneaker
Nike Zoom Kobe VII Elite
Black/Metallic Gold-Dark Grey
511371-001
04/20/12
$200
