{
  "id": 13977030,
  "title": "Austin Reaves gives Kobe Bryant reason for wearing Nike shoes despite being a Rigorer athlete",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/austin-reaves-gives-kobe-bryant-reason-for-wearing-nike-shoes-despite",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-12T14:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/austin-reaves-gives-kobe-bryant-143000896.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves has a justified reason to opt for Nike shoes despite being under a signature sneaker deal with Chinese apparel brand Rigorer. With LeBron James' departure from the team, Reaves is poised to take on a significant role in the upcoming season. During the preseason, Reaves caught the attention of sharp-eyed fans due to his choice of Nike sneakers. This has raised questions as to why he would wear Nike shoes when he has a deal with Rigorer. Reaves himself attributed his choice to his \"love\" for Kobe Bryant. The sneakers he has donned during practice sessions are from Kobe Bryant's signature shoe line with Nike. When asked about the reasoning behind his choice, Reaves simply stated, \"Basketball shoes. I'm a big Kobe fan, so I just wear some Kobes.\" While Reaves remains a Rigorer athlete for now, fans are speculating if this could be an early indication of a potential sneaker free agency for the Lakers star. It remains to be seen if Nike would be open to providing Reaves a signature shoe deal, similar to what Rigorer has offered him.",
  "summary": "Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves has a Kobe Bryant reason to wear Nike shoes. With the departure of LeBron James in the offseason, Austin Reaves is expected to fulfill a major role for the Los Angeles Lakers in the upcoming campaign.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Why new Lakers forward can’t contain excitement playing with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/why-new-lakers-forward-cant-contain-excitement-playing-with-luka",
        "published": "2026-10-11T20:14:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}