Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James: Ranking Their Holiday Kicks Among Year's Best

Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James is obviously the big NBA story as far as the Christmas Day matchups are concerned, but the other story that broke today is that LeBron and Kobe will be wearing some fancy new holiday sneakers designed to fit the occasion.

For all intents and purposes, this is likely to be the last major sneaker announcement of 2010, so we here at Bleacher Report think that means it's time to reflect.

Here are the top 20 kicks of 2010.

20. LeBron James: LeBron 8

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you wish you had some lavish baby blue shoes?

Me neither. But that didn't stop the gold folks at Nike from designing a shoe for just that purpose, and then they went ahead and put LeBron's name on it. Because that's what Nike does.

19. Kobe Bryant: Kobe VI Holiday Edition

The Kobe VI's (which appear ahead) are freaky enough in their own right, as there's just something about the shoe's snake texture that for whatever reason gives me a bad case of the fear.

But let's face it, Christmas is the last thing that these sneakers should remind you of. Instead, it looked like Kobe gutted an exotic lizard and then slapped some laces on the carcass.

18. Kevin Durant: KD III

Kevin Durant is easily one of the coolest and downright likable athletes in the world right now. But as far as his holiday shoe is concerned, well, let's just say it's better than Kobe's.

What I want to know about this shoe is why it's yellow. I understand that it's supposed to be holiday-y, but shouldn't it be blue, or maybe even orange?

Shrug. Maybe I'm just not hip.

17. Brandon Jennings: Under Armor Micro G Black Ice

The funny part is that I had no idea that Under Armor made shoes at all before I started researching for this slideshow.

And now that I've seen the relative abominations that they have designed for Brandon Jennings, I have problem admitting that I prefer ignorance in this case.

16. Kevin Garnett: Anta KG 1 Christmas Version

Yes, KG has his own Christmas shoe too. And unlike Kobe's and Durant's, it's actually in the holiday spirit.

Like him or hate him, KG is one of the best players in the NBA, and he's also the kind of dude who just seems like he wouldn't be caught dead wearing some neon shoes. And for that, he should be saluted.

15. Deron Williams: Nike Zoom Hyperfuse

Considering the fact that Deron Williams is one of the league's best point guards, his shoe is a little underwhelming.

In fact, it's only real saving grace is the little logo on the ankle. If you take that away, it's just a white shoe with a big blue Nike swoosh on it.

14. Kobe Bryant: Nike Zoom Kobe VI

These would be the original snake-like shoes.

There really isn't too much to these shoes if you take away their strange texture, not unlike Deron Williams' shoes without the blue swoosh. And while I would love to chalk that up to laziness on the part of the designer, it seems to me that it's more a case of over-creativity.

13. Josh Smith: Adidas AdiZero Infiltrate

Is anybody else surprised that Josh Smith has his own shoe? Sure, he's a serviceable power forward, but it's not like he's KG or anything.

Oh well. The good news is that his shoe is pretty cool. And despite the fact I've obviously never worn them, they do look like they were custom-designed for a big man. In other words, at the very least, they look like they function well.

12. Wes Johnson: Adidas TS Heat Check

Wes Johnson's version of the Heat Checks are clearly meant to camouflage his feet in the event that he were to go flying through the air, which is an eventuality that might be neither here nor there.

However, they do look like they provide ankle support that is more than ample, which is always a good thing.

Not bad, rook. Not bad.

11. Brondon Roy: Nike Air Max Hyperfly

Can you blame a shoe for lingering knee troubles?

You probably could, but I'll be damned if I'm about to tell Brandon Roy to ditch his shoe any time soon. Thanks to it's weird kind of old school Air Jordan aura, it's just plain cool.

10. Chris Paul: Jordan CP3.III

The Jordan CP3.IV's are due out on the first of the year. Until then, we have a chance to enjoy the CP3.III for a few more days.

While I'm not too sure the color scheme on this particular shoe meshes with what the Hornets are going for with their color scheme, it's hard to knock them for lack of creativity.

9. Dirk Nowitzki: Nike Hyperdunk 2010

Dirk's shoes are definitely a reflection of him: they're nothing flashy, yet they're effective.

Personally, my only real problem with his shoes is the ankle supports. They look like fins, and I am forced to wonder if they are largely superfluous.

8. LeBron James: LeBron 8 V.2

LeBron's holiday shoe is easily the best of them all.

Why? Because it actually has holiday colors. And they're definitely better than those hideous South Beach shoes.

7. John Wall: Reebok ZigTech Slash

Maybe because my only exposure to the ZigTech's comes from those weird animated commercials with Peyton Manning, I didn't know that they came in high tops.

If you were to ask me, the high tops make the shoe look like a pair of boots, and the ridges on the bottom make it look like they could work as ski shoes.

That being said, it's hard to deny that they do have a "cool" factor, and one suspects that one can do the Dougie in them quite easily.

6. Steve Nash: Nike Zoom Go Low

Anybody else not surprised that Steve Nash would wear shoes with a such a low-key look?

However, that's hardly an insult. Nash is a low-key guy, and he's one of the best players in the NBA. His shoe is effective in very much that same way.

5. Rajon Rondo: Nike Zoom Hyperfuse

Rondo was the first player to debut the Hyperfuses when he wore them in the playoffs this year, so he definitely deserved his own model.

Note to Kobe: this is how you do green shoes.

4. Dwight Howard: Adidas Beast

At first glance, the best part about Howard's kicks are their name: "Beast." If there is a more fitting word for Dwight Howard out there, it hasn't been uttered yet. In fact, it probably hasn't even been discovered.

But upon further review, his shoe is pretty cool. With so many players going to bright colors and all sorts of bells and whistles, it's refreshing that Howard's shoe is just black, with a bare minimum of blue trim. Works for me.

3. Kobe Bryant: Nike Zoom Kobe V Ring Ceremony

Believe it or not, I was cool once. I had myself a pair of the Kobe's first exclusive shoe when I was in eighth grade, and all the other kids envied me.

As much as the grumpy old man in me wants to condemn Kobe's "Ring Ceremony" shoes has a bunch of baloney, they are pretty sweet. I actually kind of wish I could afford a pair, and that I could affair a new wardrobe that could make them work.

Heck, these are much better than those creepy holiday shoes.

2. Carmelo Anthony: Jordan Melo 7

Much like Dwight Howard's shoe, Melo's seems to air on the side of simplicity.

But there is something about those weird side structures that draws the eye. Yet they don't scream for attention, appealing instead in a very subtle way.

Now you know that it's possible to talk of shoes as if they were a fine wine. And for that, you can thank Melo.

1. Derrick Rose: Adidas AdiZero Rose

Derrick Rose might be the all-around coolest player in the NBA.

You want to know why?

It's the shoes, of course. They're No. 1.