Fernando Tatis Jr.'s custom Jordan cleats to honor Kobe Bryant ignites fan fury: "A cheater doesn’t deserve to wear those"
Fernando Tatis Jr., a star for the San Diego Padres, has made a splash this season with his eye-catching assortment of handmade cleats.
Regarding his footwear contract, Tatis Jr. is still an unsigned free agent. But the Air Jordan 1 cleats has been his overwhelming choice.
When Fernando Tatis Jr.'s team plays the Los Angeles Dodgers this week, he'll be sporting a Air Jordan pair made specially to honor the late Kobe Bryant.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is going to wear crystal Jordan 1 cleats to honor Kobe Bryant as the Padres visit the Dodgers this week - Jomboymedia on X
Close to 5000 (4,750 to be exact) yellow, silver, and purple crystals have been used to cover the shoes. In order to represent the jerseys Bryant wore throughout his playing career, the numbers 8 and 24 have been put in the rear of each shoe.
Throughout his 20-year Hall of Fame career, Bryant wore each number for a total of 10 years per jersey. Bryant continues to be the only Lakers player with two retired numbers.
Fernando Tatis Jr. will honor Kobe Bryant with Kobe inspired cleats for when the Padres visit the Dodgers this week 🙌🐍 - ESPN
Social media users criticized Fernando Tatis by questioning the player's cleats and performance.
One user commented (refering to his failed drug test) :
A cheater doesn’t deserve to wear those cleats - everydaydodgers
Another mentioned :
Cringe - no9icasso
One user said:
Ahhhh helllll nahhhhh - slomar2423
While another commented:
Kobe wouldn’t approve. Showboating on a team that’s about to miss the playoffs. In the midst of the most disappointing season in franchise history
Cool but we don’t accept his honorarium
I can’t stand Tatis.
Why Fernando Tatis Jr. was banned from the MLB
Tatis Jr. damaged his reputation just as rapidly as he rose to fame. He tested positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing drug that is banned by the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program of Major League Baseball.
Fernando's reputation was ruined in the league as a result of the failed drug test, which led to an 80-game suspension.
Following an offseason wrist injury brought on by a motorbike accident in his home Dominican Republic, Tatis Jr. missed the majority of the 2022 campaign.