Kobe Bryant sneakers: LeBron James, Kyrie Irving lead wave of shoe tributes honoring the Lakers legend

The NBA simply hasn't been the same since the stunning death of former Lakers great Kobe Bryant. You'd be hard-pressed to find a player who wasn't visibly grief-stricken and emotional while on the court over the last few days. While the league has done its part in honoring Bryant with specific changes to how the All-Star Game is going to be played and what jersey numbers each team will wear, players all around the NBA have taken matters into their own hands to pay homage to the Black Mamba.

Bryant was one of the greatest players in NBA history, but he was also an icon in the sneaker community. His signature line with Nike is one of the longest-running collections in history. His sneakers have always been an on-court favorite for many NBA players and they've stood the test of time. Since the news of his death, there's been a massive influx of Nike Kobe line sneakers on the court as players from across the league pay their respects.

So this week, we're not going to be ranking players on their sneaker heat, instead, we'll try and document which players laced up their best kicks in an attempt to remember Bryant.

Christian Wood

Pistons forward Christian Wood, a California native, had to take the floor a day after Bryant's passing. He decided to incorporate two different pairs of kicks in his tribute, mismatching the Nike Kobe 4 Protro Undefeated 'Spurs' and the Nike Kobe 4 Protro Undefeated 'Suns.' The words 'childhood hero' can be seen written out on the sole of one of the kicks.

Jordan Clarkson

Kobe Bryant's final NBA statistic was an assist to none other than Jordan Clarkson, whose first two seasons in the NBA coincided with the final two of Bryant's illustrious career. Clarkson wore the Nike Kobe 4 Protro Undefeated 'Suns' in his first game following Bryant's death with the message '24 forever' written across the shoe.

Thaddeus Young

Bulls forward Thaddeus Young is one of the league's biggest sneakerheads. This week, he dug into his collection and pulled out the Nike Kobe 4 Prelude 'Finals MVP.' This sneaker released in 2013 and was inspired by the Kobe 4 kicks Bryant wore while leading the Lakers to a title victory over the Magic in 2009.

Langston Galloway

Pistons guard Langston Galloway has an extensive collection of Kobe Bryant signature kicks. Galloway put some of those kicks on display to pay tribute to Bryant when he faced off against the Cavaliers on Monday. He broke out the Nike Kobe 7 'What The Kobe,' then laced up a Q4 custom designed after the Nike Kobe 8 'What The' and finally he showed off the rare Nike Hyperdunk 08 'Aston Martin.'

Bam Adebayo

Heat big man Bam Adebayo is starting to become a known name in the NBA sneaker scene. He definitely knows how to send a message through his kicks, and did just that this week by breaking out the Nike Kobe 4 Protro Undefeated 'Lakers.'

Derrick Jones Jr.

Heat high-flyer Derrick Jones Jr. loves playing in Nike Kobe sneakers. He's one of the league's biggest sneakerheads and the Kobe line plays a big role in his deep collection. This week, he's worn the Nike Kobe 4 Prelude 'Finals MVP,' a shoe he's on record saying was one of his favorite additions to his collection. Jones Jr. also laced up a custom Nike Kobe 4 with the words 'R.I.P Kobe' written on the back sole of the shoe.

Julius Randle

Knicks forward Julius Randle is another former teammate of Kobe Bryant. Randle was in an especially difficult situation this week, having to play just hours after news broke of Bryant's passing. Randle laced up the Nike Kobe AD 'Port Wine' for that moment and wrote the words 'rest easy bro' on the sole.

Spencer Dinwiddie

Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie used to wear No. 8. This week he changed it to No. 26 in large part to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant who started his career as No. 8. Dinwiddie continued to show love by putting his own signature sneaker line aside for a game to wear the Nike Kobe 4 Protro Undefeated 'Spurs.'

Buddy Hield

Kings guard Buddy Hield grew up a massive Kobe Bryant fan. He wears No. 24 in dedication to his favorite player. He's also making a name for himself in the league as one of the biggest supporters of the Nike Kobe line. Paying homage to his childhood hero, Hield wore the Nike Kobe 5 'Lakers' this week with multiple messages, like 'mamba 4 life' written across the shoes.

Isaiah Thomas

Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas spoke from the heart this week when he described the loss of Kobe Bryant. He talked about their relationship and how Bryant was there for him during his injury struggles. Bryant meant a lot to Thomas and I.T. has always shown love through his sneaker game. He's one of the NBA's biggest ambassadors for the Nike Kobe line and he kept that going this week.

DeMar DeRozan

Spurs swingman DeMar DeRozan modeled his game after Kobe Bryant. DeRozan, who's from Compton, California, has also shaped his sneaker game after the Black Mamba, wearing Nike Kobe sneakers throughout his career. This week, DeRozan broke out the Nike Kobe 1 Protro Undefeated. He wrote 'RIP Bean' and 'love you big bro' across the sole.

P.J. Tucker

Rockets forward P.J. Tucker, the NBA's undisputed sneaker king, wore a lot of amazing kicks this week but none stood out more than the Nike Kobe 7's he laced up honoring Kobe Bryant. Tucker's message: 'There will never be another.'

Devin Booker

Suns guard Devin Booker is another player who you can't exaggerate just how much he was influenced by Kobe Bryant's career. Booker used the words 'be legendary' on his Nike Kobe 4 Protro PE kicks to pay tribute to Bryant. Those were the words Bryant used when he signed a pair of sneakers for Booker where he was a rookie.

Tobias Harris

You could absolutely make the argument that Tobias Harris has the premier Nike Kobe line collection in the NBA. Paying his respects to Bryant this week, Harris broke out the Nike Kobe 3 'MVP.' The shoe that released in 2008 after Bryant was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

Luka Doncic

The final Lakers game Kobe Bryant attended was a matchup against the Mavericks. Bryant took his daughter, Gianna, who also died in the tragic helicopter accident, to see Mavericks star Luka Doncic play. Then there's the story of the side-out-of-bounds play where Doncic recalls someone speaking his native language behind him to get his attention and it being none other than Bryant. Doncic used his Nike Kobe 5 Protro 'Chaos' sneakers to pay tribute to Kobe and Gianna, writing messages for the both of them on each shoe.

Kyrie Irving

When Kyrie Irving hit the biggest shot of his career in the 2016 NBA Finals that helped secure the Cavaliers the title, one of the first things he did after the game was call Kobe Bryant. Irving wasn't ready to play in the immediate aftermath of Bryant's death, but in his return to the court he's thriving and keeping true to the 'Mamba Mentality' essence. In honor of Bryant, Irving laced up a never-before-seen pair of the Nike Kyrie 3 'Mamba Mentality' sneakers.

Anthony Davis

Lakers big man Anthony Davis won a gold medal for Team USA alongside Kobe Bryant in 2012. Davis now suits up in the purple and gold just like Bryant did for 20 years, and if you keep track you'll likely always catch the big man in a pair of Nike Kobe kicks. In the Lakers' first game since Bryant's death, Davis wore the unreleased Nike Kobe 5 Protro 'Kay Yow' kicks with messages to Bryant and his daughter.

LeBron James

The debates. LeBron James versus Kobe Bryant. Nike's puppet commercials. The head-to-head matchups. The Redeem Team that won the gold medal. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant will always be tied together when telling the story of the NBA. James was one of the last people to ever speak with Bryant, they reportedly had a conversation early Sunday morning just hours after James passed Bryant on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Bryant's final tweet was a message to James: 'Continuing to move the game forward. Much respect brother.' In the Lakers' first game since Bryant's death, James addressed the world to discuss the impact the Black Mamba had on him throughout the years. After the heartfelt speech, James hit the court wearing something other than his signature Nike kicks for the first time in a long time. James laced up the Nike Kobe 1 '81 Points' before switching to the Nike Kobe 5 Protro 'Big Stage Parade.' James laced up Bryant's sneakers on Friday and his message rings loudly: 'In the words of Kobe Bryant. Mamba out. But in the words of us, not forgotten. Live on, brother.'