Kobe Bryant beating Michael Jordan in the NBA shoe game

Is there a new king in the NBA shoe game? For ages, Michael Jordan has dominated the scene. NBA players have worn Jordan brand Nike shoes seemingly since forever and continue to do so, but Kobe Bryant is currently beating His Airness in terms players wearing his sponsored shoes, according to a new study conducted by Versus Reviews.

The Nike Kobe AD is currently being worn by more players than any other shoe, and Kobe Bryant signature shoes are being worn by more players than any Jordan Brand shoe.

Nike is absolutely crushing the market right now, overall. Per the study, 64 percent of players in the NBA wear Nike brand shoes. The next-best on the list is Adidas at 17.7 percent — a huge drop-off. Stephen Curry and Under Armour are way down on the list at 3.5 percent, while Reebok is almost out of the game completely.

Bryant will have both of his numbers retired by the Los Angeles Lakers this upcoming December. He is commonly mentioned in debates as a top-five player in NBA history. It’s hardly surprising, given the fact he finished his career as the third-highest all-time scorer in NBA history, won five NBA championships, was NBA Finals MVP twice, is an 18-time NBA All-Star and was voted to 11 NBA All-NBA First Teams.

Bryant is a legend, and even now as he’s retired he’s among the most popular figures in the world of athletics.

As the new generation of NBA players who grew up watching Kobe Bryant — not Michael Jordan — ball out for the Lakers, it’s not surprising more of them are starting to gravitate to the Black Mamba, rather than His Airness.