KB24.com, the official web site of Kobe Bryant, held it’s first-ever Meet & Greet with Kobe on July 3, 2008.  Members of KB24.com were randomly selected to attend a private meet and greet session where they were treated to refreshments, exclusive video content of Kobe, and some personal time with Kobe Bryant himself! 

The Kobe Collection was invited to attend the festivities and have recapped the entire event from start to finish for those who were not in attendance.  Click here to read the recap and view exclusive photos of the event. 

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June 28, 2008, marked the official U.S. release date of the Nike Zoom Kobe III SL MVP edition.  In total, 600 pairs were made available to 8 retailers in the U.S. - Eastbay Vault, House of Hoops (Harlem, NY), Niketown (Los Angeles, CA), Proper (Long Beach, CA), Foot Locker (Los Angeles area), UNDFTD (Los Angeles), KB24.com, Nike.com.  72 of the 600 pairs were bundled with an MVP Tee and encased in a special lucite box with MVP inscribed onto the cover.  Needless to say, all 72 MVP Special Edition packs were sold out at their respective locations.  The same could almost be said for the regular MVP edition (without lucite box). 

The Kobe Collection was able to secure a pair of ZKIII SL MVP Special Edition with lucite box and T-shirt.  Stay tuned for an in-depth look at the ZKIII MVP edition and exclusive photos. 

Photo above courtesy of ISS member “Swoosh23″

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After word spread that the Nike Zoom Kobe III MVP editions were going to release, but in limited quantities and only in the Philippines, Sneakerheads were outraged at Nike for another non-U.S. exclusive release.  48 pairs of the ZKIII MVPs released June 21st in the PI, where fans were required to fill out an entry form and hope that their name was selected to purchase a pair of the MVPS:

Nike honors 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant with the launch of the limited edition Zoom Kobe III MVP. This special Zoom Kobe III, first worn by Kobe in the first two games against the Utah Jazz, carries with it the signature Lakers colors of yellow and purple on a white base, with an MVP logo on the tongue.

This coming June 21, Kobe fans who want to own a pair are given the chance to do so as Nike offers the limited edition Zoom Kobe III MVP through an exclusive release at 6:30 pm at Nike Park, Fort Bonifacio, Highstreet. Only 48 pairs of the Zoom Kobe III MVP shoes will be sold in the Philippines.

Those who want to own a pair will be required to fill out entry forms and submit them between 5:30 and 6:15 pm on June 21 at the store. At 6:30 pm, a special draw will be done to determine the lucky customers who will get the chance to purchase the exclusive kicks.

However, shortly after the MVPs went on sale in Asia, news broke throughout the online sneaker community that the Zoom Kobe III MVP edition will be made available in the U.S. starting June 28, 2008.  Confirmed locations include Niketown Los Angeles (NTLA) and possibly KB24.com.  Also, 72 pairs will be sold with a special lucite box with “MVP” inscribed on the cover and will include a limited edition MVP T-shirt. 

UPDATE: NTLA will be handing out wristbands on Thursday morning at 10AM for Saturday’s release of the Nike Zoom Kobe III MVP edition.  Roughly 100 wristbands will be handed out for both the special boxed version and regular boxed version, along with other giveaways. 

Stay tuned for more updates. 

Photo above courtesy of eBay seller “rmkstore”

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The Los Angeles Lakers held off the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, 87-81, behind a great performance by Kobe Bryant.  Boston now leads the series 2-1.  Kobe made two crucial baskets late in the game to seal the game for the Lakers.  He finished the game with 36 points (12-20 FGM/A), 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist.  The only other Laker player to show up for Game 3 was Sasha “The Machine” Vujacic.  Sasha came off the bench to score 20 points, making 3 of 5 from behind the three-point line. 

No other Laker player came to play Tuesday night.  Starters Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, and Vladimir Radmanovic combined for a total of 22 points.  What happened to Pau?  He looks like a Kwame Brown in the making; playing extremely soft and afraid of contact, fumbling passes, going soft to the basket, missing free throws, etc.  He needs to man up and get tougher in the paint, both on defense and offense.  As for Lamar, he has disappeared and so has his game.  Stop getting in foul trouble and play some D.  The same goes for Vlad. 

The Lakers were lucky to get the W in Game 3.  As bad as they all played, minus Kobe and Sasha, they should’ve really lost that game.  I supposed it helped that Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce also didn’t show up to play.  However, don’t expect this to continue in Game 4 on Thursday night.  Garnett and Pierce will bring their A game.

Game 3 highlights to come soon. 

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Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals tips off tonight in Boston.  The Lakers look to steal a game (or two) on the road and head back to Los Angeles with games 3, 4, and 5 at Staples Center.  Many experts pick the Lakers to win the series in 6-7 games mainly due to their experience.  However, if Kobe can “just be Kobe” and help get his teammates involved early, the Lakers can win the series in 5.  They have proven in each of their previous three series’ that they can win on the road in hostile environments. 

Game 2 of the NBA Finals is on Sunday, June 8, 2008, at 6:00PM PST.  See complete series schedule below. 

The Kobe Collection’s prediction?  Lakers in 5!

Beat them C’s!  Go Lakers!!!

2008 NBA Finals Schedule:

Gm. 1: Thursday, June 5 (8:30 p.m. ET) - LAL at BOS
Gm. 2: Sunday, June 8 (8:30 p.m. ET) - LAL at BOS
Gm. 3: Tuesday, June 10 (8:30 p.m. ET) - BOS at LAL
Gm. 4: Thursday, June 12 (8:30 p.m. ET) - BOS at LAL
Gm. 5: *Sunday, June 15 (8:30 p.m. ET) - BOS at LAL
Gm. 6: *Tuesday, June 17 (8:30 p.m. ET) - LAL at BOS
Gm. 7: *Thursday, June 19 (8:30 p.m. ET) - LAL at BOS

* If necessary

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The Kobe Collection has created a forum for all Kobeheads to discuss different topics relating to Kobe Bryant collectibles and memorabilia.  Register for membership today and start sharing/receiving knowledge with other Kobe fanatics around the world! 

Click here to register now!

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Get an in-depth look at the Nike Zoom Hyperdunk Kobe Bryant Away Player Exclusive (PE) basketball shoe that recently released! 

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Congratulations to Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers for advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2004.  The Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, 100-92, to close out the series 4-1.  They will face either the Boston Celtics or Detroit Pistons in the Finals. 

Kobe had another magnificent game, scoring 39 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.  He helped the Lakers rally from 17 points down in the first half and made some key baskets in the 4th quarter to give the Lakers the lead for good. 

The Lakers are now 12-3 in the playoffs, including 8-0 at Staples Center, where they haven’t lost in two months.  They have won 14 straight home games and 21 of their last 24 postseason games at home.

Whether they face the Celtics or Pistons, the Lakers will have to continue to prove they can win on the road, as well as defend their home court.  The Lakers have won at least one road game in each of their first three series.  The Eastern Conference representative will have home court advantage in the NBA Finals. 

Here is the tentative NBA Finals schedule:
6/05/2008 9:00 PM - NBA Finals, ABC
6/08/2008 9:00 PM - NBA Finals, ABC
6/10/2008 9:00 PM - NBA Finals, ABC
6/12/2008 9:00 PM - NBA Finals, ABC
6/15/2008 9:00 PM - NBA Finals, ABC
6/17/2008 9:00 PM - NBA Finals, ABC
6/19/2008 9:00 PM - NBA Finals, ABC

Photo above courtesy of AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

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In another viral marketing campaign to promote the soon-to-be-released Nike Hyperdunk basketball shoe, Kobe jumps over an above-the-ground swimming pool filled with live snakes to dunk a basketball.  If you remember not too long ago, Kobe jumped over a speeding Aston Martin in a Nike spot that had the media and fans buzzing for days.  This video is no different.  With the help of some cast and crew members from the hit TV show “Jackass,” Kobe jumps from beyond the three-point line over a pool of snakes to dunk a basketball two-handed…all this while wearing funky neon colored Hyperdunks.

These viral marketing spots by Nike to hype up the Hyperdunks are genius.  Having Kobe be the primary spokesman for them are even more genius. 

If you haven’t seen the video yet, click here to check it out. 

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What a win for the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals!  After a dismal 2 and a half quarters against the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night, where the Lakers trailed by as many as 20 points, Kobe and company came to play towards the end of the third quarter and into the fourth.  At one point, the Lakers scored 14 straight points in a span of 3:05 to only trail by 6.  Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lakers were only down 7 as Kobe went to work.  He scored 25 of his 27 points in the second half, including a game-winning 10-foot jumper with 23.9 seconds left.  The Lakers defended the Spurs’ final three-point attempt and secured the rebound, where Sasha Vujacic was fouled and converted both free-throws.  The Lakers won the game 89-85, and now lead the series 1-0. 

To be honest, I didn’t expect the Lakers to be able to pull this one out, especially after being down 20.  Kobe’s passive first-half was not a concern as we all knew he would go to work when he chose to.  What was disappointing were the plays of Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom.  Both had great series’ versus the Utah Jazz but were pretty non-existent in Game 1 against the Spurs.  Lets hope both players shake off their rust and come ready to play on Friday in Game 2.  Other players who struggled were Ronny Turiaf and Luke Walton.  On the other hand, Vladimir Radmanovic, Jordan Farmar, and Sasha Vujacic all played well.  They combined for a total of 28 of the Lakers’ 89 points. 

Nonetheless, an impressive come-from-behind win by a young Lakers team. 

Checkout the highlights here. 

Game 2 is Friday at 6:00PM PST on TNT. 

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