Four years later and Kobe retired. My hate had turned into a grudging respect.  It’s 6:55 am and I’m up waiting for the Kobe V “Chaos” to re-release for the first time since 2010. The clock ticks by and 7am hits.  I put my shoe size in the SNKRS app and the message I was dying to see comes up: “Got ‘Em.” When the sneakers finally arrived at my house, I can’t contain myself.  Ever since I saw those “Big Stage” V’s in the 2010 Finals, I craved a pair of V’s. I take them out of the box and it’s like I’m holding a piece of art. It’s got a lime green swoosh, blood splattered midsole and a deep, dark purple on the toe box that seems to change colors in the light. 

Aptly named “Chaos” (after Heath Ledger’s famous line from The Dark Knight), the sneaker represented a high point in my collecting life. More of these V’s will be released during Mamba week 2020. However, I didn’t realize how much these kicks would end up meaning to me.