Nike’s Kobe line is one of the most successful sneaker lines in history. Kobe’s are the sneaker of choice by players in the NBA and are one of the most dominant basketball shoes in the sneaker world.
Following Kobe’s tragic death, though, Kobe’s have been hard to get.
Kobe retired in 2016, and when he retired, both him and Nike agreed to keep his shoe line going; it was essentially the second best shoe by a basketball player behind Jordans.
Nike continued to create and release Kobe’s, and all was good on the surface. After a couple years, Kobe mentioned that his intention was not to continue with Nike after his deal ran out in 2021. He wanted to start his own company ‘Mamba.’
A year before his deal expired, Kobe unfortunately passed away in an accident. Nike limited new releases of Kobe’s, and this upset Kobe’s heirs of the company.
The deal ended and was not renewed. Demand grew for the shoes after Kobe’s death, but no shoes were dropping. Spontaneous drops of the ‘Grinch,’ ‘All Star,’ and a handful of others all sold out immediately.
In 2022 word got out that Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, and Nike had reconciled, but nothing changed.
Recently, in honor of the late Gigi Bryant’s 17th birthday, Nike released a new pair titled the ‘Mambacita’s.’
As of now, the Kobe 6 Protro ‘Reverse Grinch’ are slated to release in the holiday season of 2023. There is no other official word of Kobe’s that will drop, but we can expect more in the future.
As long as there are no major developments in the relationship of Vanessa Bryant and Nike, we can expect very limited drops of Kobe’s, but nothing consistent.
Many resellers, sneakerheads, and basketball players alike would love to see Kobe’s make a comeback. There is certainly the demand for it.
Personally, I would love to see Kobe’s come back. I think they are one of, if not THE, most fashionable basketball shoes. Nike did a great job making the shoes clean and fashionable but also effective on the basketball court.
Objectively, having more Kobe’s on more people’s feet is also a great way to honor the late Kobe Bryant.
We’re looking forward to what Kobe’s come next and seeing how this plays out.
Mateo Moyon
