Nike to release a special edition Kobe Bryant shoe that honors his Philly roots
The Kobe 4 Protro “Philly” is an ode to the city that nurtured, booed, and, ultimately, honored the legendary Laker.
In celebration of “Mamba Day,” Nike will release a special edition Kobe Bryant sneaker that honors the legendary hooper’s Philly roots.
Scheduled for a Saturday morning release, the new Kobe 4 Protro “Philly” will stay true to the shoe’s original 2009 design, while “nodding to his birthplace,” per Nike. According to the company, the Kobe 4 Protro “Philly” combines a varsity blue upper, white midsole, and varsity red trim on the shoe laces, sock liner, and the swoosh logo. There’s also a star pattern along the ankle, and his
date of birth and signature mantra, “Mamba Mentality,” is printed on the insoles. The “Mamba Day” release marks eight years since April 13, 2016, Bryant’s last NBA game. Two other Bryant sneakers by Nike will also be released on the day, according to Complex.
The Kobe 4 Protro “Philly” is listed at $190, but the anticipation has already raised the price tag on sneaker resale sites. Some pairs are priced at around $2,800 on Kicks on Fire as of Tuesday.
The all-time basketball great, who tragically died alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a helicopter crash in January 2020, was born in the City of Brotherly Love. His father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, played for the 76ers in the first four years of his basketball career.
Bryant’s father continued playing basketball and eventually moved the family to Italy, where Kobe spent most of his childhood before the family made their way back to Philly.
They lived in Ardmore as Bryant began his basketball career at Lower Merion High School. The future superstar guard led Lower Merion to a state championship during his senior year, and was named the Naismith High School player of the year before declaring for the 1996 NBA draft.
The 76ers ended up drafting Allen Iverson, but Bryant, the career-long Los Angeles Laker, never forgot his hometown. Not until ahead of the 2001 NBA finals and the Lakers’ matchup with the 76ers when Bryant said he was “coming to Philly to cut their hearts out,” according to USA Today.
The Lakers ended up winning the series in five games, and the Sixers’ disdain toward the All-Star guard continued until his final game at the Wells Fargo Center on Dec. 1, 2015. Despite years of vitriol, Philly fans chanted Bryant’s name and gave the “Black Mamba” a standing ovation, knowing he was set to retire at the end of his 20th NBA season.
Bryant was an avid Eagles fan who often visited Philly schools and never hesitated to honor his Lower Merion basketball coach Gregg Downer.
“Since I’ve been playing in the NBA, I always come back,” Bryant said to the AP in 2007. “Always. I’ll never forget what the school has done for me, what the city has done for me.”
He donated $400,000 to Lower Merion to fund the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium on the school’s campus. That same gym turned into a memorial site following his death, with mourners leaving flowers, basketballs, and posters to honor Bryant’s legacy as a player and Philly icon.
The Kobe 4 Protro “Philly” drops Saturday, April 13, at 11 a.m. on Nike’s website, bit.ly/49G2gn6. Be sure to choose United States as your location when you shop.