Reebok Question “For Player Use Only” Pack: LeBron & Kobe’s Lost PEs

Although Kobe Bryant had already been in the league for seven years when LeBron James first stepped on the NBA hardwood, their names, careers and eventual legacies will always be somehow linked thanks to the era they shared and the endless debates that have ensued over who’s the better player. While the two might not be able to claim the same kind of personal history and heated on-court rivalry that the Magic/Bird dynamic offered, as the two best players in the league for the last decade or so, the comparisons and connection to each other were unavoidable. Somehow the two never faced off in an NBA Finals and you could make the argument that they may have provided more memorable moments winning the gold while playing together for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics than they ever have playing against each other in the NBA.

There’s no doubt that there’s a serious sense of competition between the two, and while they might try to downplay it, any time their teams play each other, it intensifies to a level where there’s no denying it. There have been plenty of enjoyable regular season battles and All-Star Game matchups, but the stakes have never been much higher than bragging rights for the day and that’s where their rivalry falls a little short compared to some of the greats. In fact, they’re even brandmates at Nike, serving side by side for the better part of the last ten years as the Swoosh’s 1 and 1a signature

basketball shoe endorsers. But there was a time when that wasn’t the case and both superstars were free agents when it came to their sneaker contracts.

With all the ties you can name between LeBron and Kobe, the fact that they both wore PE versions of the Reebok Question back in 2002 may not have been common knowledge for some. And at the time, we never could have imagined that these special LeBron and Kobe Questions would someday transcend their urban legend status and emerge from their limited existence as grainy internet images to be fully realized in the flesh once again. Last week that day actually came as Packer Shoes threw the sneaker game an unexpected curveball when they announced that Reebok would be bringing both pairs to retail as a pack.

Needless to say, the sneaker blogs and forums have been buzzing ever since with excitement over the surprising announcement and news of the impending release. The Packer Shoes in-store pre-sale is underway, and if you act fast, you can still secure a two-pack for yourself before they’re all gone. You can find the full release details here, including info on Friday’s online sale as well, and be sure to check out our full photo gallery showcasing one of 2013’s most pleasant and warmly-welcomed sneaker surprises.

During LeBron’s senior year at Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School in Akron, he was being unofficially courted by all sorts of brands just waiting for him to declare for the NBA and immediately make himself a hot commodity as an endorser. Although SVSM was outfitted in adidas gear at the time, we saw a handful of

green/gold-accented Nike’s make their way onto King James’ feet, including an infamous pair of Air Jordan IXs, but not to be outdone, the Vector Brand got into the mix as well with a special version of Allen Iverson’s Question model personalized with LeBron’s “L23J” callout.

At the time Kobe got his special Questions, the circumstances weren’t much different. He had just completed a six-year contract with adidas and was playing the field and having some sneaker fun before making a commitment and signing with another brand. Getting hooked up with a variety of Air Jordan Retro PEs in Lakers

colorways proved too tough to top and Kobe eventually signed with Nike, but not before playing a December 2002 game against New Orleans in a purple-toed pair of Questions. The gesture may not have swayed Bryant over to the Reebok camp, but the shoe they made for him has lived on in sneaker infamy ever since.