After a long and successful career, Taj Gibson has retired from the NBA. Gibson has plenty of amazing stories from his career, dating back to his time with the USC Trojans. One story even includes Gibson's Trojans teammates stealing Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's Nike sneakers.
It's all water under the bridge now, and it was never even a big deal to Bryant (the school took it far more seriously). But that doesn't make the tale any less funny. Gibson recently shared the story with digital creator Brad Parker on Instagram.
Taj Gibson's Story
Gibson played for USC from 2006-2009. He didn't specify the year, but said the incident occurred in the Lakers' locker room during the Pac-10 Tournament. The Trojans entered the locker room and were looking for Bryant's locker. One player even discovered that the sneaker storage compartments popped open.
The college kids couldn't help themselves, taking a large amount of Bryant's gear and signature Nike basketball shoes. Less than a week later, Strength and Condition Manager Rudy Hackett confronted the team about the stolen sneakers.
"I don't want to know anything," Gibson recounted Hackett telling the team. "Give me all the shoes, and I won't say nothing. I'm gonna turn around, I'm gonna come back in five minutes, put it down, give it back to them."
Gibson said he turned around and there were "at least 20 pairs of kicks on the floor." He thought to himself, "Damn, we robbed him!"
Kobe Bryant's Surprising Reaction
Bryant was unfazed by the overzealous student-athletes stealing his sneakers. In fact, he responded with incredible generosity. Gibson said the following year the entire Trojans team received Nike Kobe basketball shoes in USC colorways (which also suggests it probably wasn't Gibson's 2009 team).
Whenever the Lakers came to play the Chicago Bulls during the early years of Gibson's career, the former Trojan would joke with Bryant about the incident. Bryant coolly told Gibson, "I know I had to take care of y'all, man. I know y'all wanted some."
So which Trojans player started the sneaker heist? Gibson refused to say. However, the comment section pointed out that several serious Kobe fans played for the Trojans during that era.
Everyone from Nick "Swaggy P" Young to O.J. Mayo to DeMar DeRozan loved Bryant and wore his shoes. But the same could probably be said for every player on the roster during those years.
Kobe x Nike x USC Trojans
USC has been a Nike school since the early 1990s, and recently extended their partnership through 2036. Even better, they became one of a few select "Mamba Programs" in September 2023. Since then, the Trojans have continued to debut new products and unreleased colorways.
While Kobe skipped college and entered the 1996 NBA Draft, his oldest daughter, Natalia, graduated from USC in May 2025. Kobe's connection to USC runs deep, and a few stolen sneakers didn't spoil it.
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