John Kim 
For five years, Sneaker News has launched the most comprehensive March Madness style tournaments in an effort to name the single greatest sneakers from various categories. It started in 2010 with a broad spectrum of shoes which resulted in the Air Jordan 11 being named the greatest sneaker of all-time. In following years, we moved to LeBrons and Foamposites as well, and the outcomes weren’t too surprising considering the runaway winners were also the pre-tourney favorites. But this year’s tournament, which highlights the entire catalog of Nike Kobe signature sneakers, can end in a number of ways, and the greater the number of possible outcomes, the more excitement – and upsets – you can expect. Check out the fully unveiled bracket here and check out all the Round 1 voting polls below – they close on Sunday, March 22nd at 11:59 PM EST.
SOUTH REGION
The best Prelude of the bunch takes on the awesome “Gradient” colorway of the Kobe 4.
Masterpiece in Kobe form goes up against the Aston Martin Kobe V.
Galaxy Print vs. the art-inspired Prelude 6. Who wins?
The shoe that celebrated Kobe’s five Championship ring vs. the color-changing Cloak in the “coin-flip” battle of the region.
EAST REGION
The gum-soled HTM Kobe 9s go up against the only “BHM” colorway of the entire tournament.
Kobe’s love for Bruce Lee and one of his All-Star moments go head to head here.
It’s Prelude vs. Prelude – does the 8 have what it takes to overtake the 2?
The colorful “What The” Kobe 8 goes up against the Orange County colorway of the LA Pack.
MIDWEST REGION
Is the first “What The” Kobe sneaker the clear-cut winner? It goes up against the Kobe 3 “Prelude”.
One of the toughest Nike Kobe finds in the “Barcelona” goes up against the Joker-inspired “Chaos”.
The “Big Stage” celebrated Kobe Bryant’s NBA Championship in 2010. Will the super-limited NRG joint pull off the upset?
One of the more celebrated “Prelude” releases matches up against the first-ever Nike Kobe signature shoe.
WEST REGION
The #1 seed “Grinch”, a heavy favorite to win the entire tournament, goes up against the Kobe 8 Prelude.
The stylish soccer-inspired Mambacurials take on the original Kobe 2 colorway known as
the “Orca”.
This early collaboration with NYC artist “Stash” takes on the “Carpe Diem” colorway of the Kobe IV.
The coinflip in this region is this match-up between the Beethoven 9s and the Christmas 7s.
