The Lakers wore Kobe Bryant-themed socks against the Warriors. Via @StanceHoops
The outcome defied logic. The reasons also seemed head-scratching.
But there apparently marked one significant reason why the Lakers somehow delivered a 112-95 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday at Staples Center.
“The power of the socks,” Kobe Bryant joked.
Instead of willing his team with clutch baskets, Bryant instead helped his team with comfortable inspiration. The Lakers wore Bryant-themed socks produced by Stance, the NBA’s official on-court sock provider. The Lakers wore a pair of socks called “The Final,” which entailed a set colored purple, gold, white and black with a reference to Bryant’s jersey number. That included the number “2” on the right sock and the number “4” on the left sock.
“It’s got to be the socks,” Bryant said. “It’s cool. To play as many years in the league, it’s cool to do stuff like that.”
There marked two others sets of Bryant-themed socks not worn in the game.
The so-called “K. Bryant” featured a cartoon version of the Lakers’ star. The left sock featured Bryant in the earlier stages of his 20-year NBA career, wearing a No. 8 jersey and an afro. The right sock featured Bryant in the later parts of his career, wearing a No. 24 jersey with a shaved head. The other set called “Kobe Faces” included a set of black, purple, gold and white colors that references Bryant’s “HeroVillain” marketing slogan. With “HeroVillian” and “KB20” logos on the foot of the socks, the words “HERO” and “VILLAIN” are written on the sock in Mandarin.
“My kids freaked out. They saw the other version of the socks. They saw my afro,” Bryant said. “They thought that was pretty sweet. It was fun to be a part of.”
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