Kobe Bryant's Rare Jordan Sneaks -- Sell for $25,000

A pair of rare signed custom Air Jordan sneakers -- made specifically for Kobe Bryant in 2003 -- has just sold for $25,000 ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The story behind the kicks is interesting ... at the time, Kobe had recently cut ties with Adidas and didn't have a shoe deal in place.

So Nike -- looking to court the young superstar -- made him custom size 14 Player Edition Air Jordan VII’s.

He wore one of the models during his famous 46-point game against the Knicks on February 6, 2003.

A pair of the rare shoes eventually got to Mike Nguyen -- co-owner of the famous IndexPDX sneaker shop in Portland -- who tells us the second he put 'em up for sale, he was bombarded with offers from serious sneakerheads.

They sold hours later to a hardcore shoe collector -- but Mike says the buyer wishes to keep his ID under wraps.

As for Kobe ... he eventually signed a deal with Nike and he's still with 'em to this day. Guess the strategy worked.