Nike celebrated Lunar New Year 2013 with the Zoom Kobe 8 EXT ‘Year of the Snake,’ featuring a scaly texture on the all-black upper. The design plays off twin serpent themes, one relating to the Chinese Zodiac, the other referencing Kobe’s ‘Black Mamba’ persona. Branding elements, including a large Swoosh on the quarter panel and Kobe’s personal logo on the heel, are rendered in rough suede.