In the store window, the Mamba II in Purple and Gold was displayed in the most prominent spot.
The purple upper was trimmed in gold, and Kobe's personal logo on the tongue had been made into a snake-shaped design. Under the lights, it looked as if it were alive.
Beside it was a huge poster showing Kobe pulling up for a jumper in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. His body leaned slightly backward in midair as he gently flicked the ball from his wrist, his expression focused and calm.
A line of text was printed at the bottom of the poster: "Revenge starts with this pair of shoes."
A young man wearing the Mamba I stood in the middle of the line, phone in hand as he scrolled through Twitter.
He saw a clip from an interview with Kobe: "I've been waiting all year. Last year, I didn't get the chance. This year, I won't miss it again." He held up his phone for the person beside him. "Did you see this? Kobe said he 'won't miss it again.' Tonight, he'll show Li Fei he's not the same Kobe as last year."
The person beside him nodded. "Kobe gets better every year. Last year, Pippen shut him down for two quarters. This year, he blew past Pippen. Last year, he looked like a kid next to Li Fei. This year—I don't know. But I want to see."
"No matter what happens, this series is going to be great."
The line shuffled forward a few steps.
Someone called out, "Mamba II, Purple and Gold, limited edition! You'll regret it if you don't get a pair!" Laughter rippled through the line.
China, Beijing.
At seven thirty in the morning, the line outside the Li Fei Flagship Store on Wangfujing