Kobe Bryant is now two seasons removed from last stepping foot on the court for the Los Angeles Lakers, but Nike continues ahead with his signature shoe line. Within the past year, new models of the Nike Kobe A.D., Kobe Protro 1 and Nike Kobe AD NXT have all been released.
The Kobe A.D. was essentially a de facto 12th signature shoe for Bryant. Nike did away with the numerals to make note of Bryant entering a new phase of his life — retirement. Meanwhile, the Protro line is theirs and Bryant’s take on a retro sneaker.
Rather than simply bring back previous iterations from his signature line, Bryant wanted to outfit and upgrade them with technology that matches what’s available in contemporary shoes.
As for the Kobe A.D. line, a new model appears to be on the horizon. San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan unveiled a pair that the Drew League suggested will release on Nike’s Kobe Day (Aug. 24), which Kyle Kuzma is looking forward to:
Good lord!!!!???????????????????????????? can’t wait to rock these on the court???????????????????????????? https://t.co/GyPNsdPWD3
— kuz (@kylekuzma) August 12, 2018
Nike has yet to release any official details on the shoe. Pictures present a silhouette that has a bit of a blended look, comprised of a mesh upper and an updated take on the traditional lacing.
That Kuzma is looking forward to the new sneaker is hardly a surprise. He regularly wore Bryant’s various models throughout the season and was included in the marketing campaign for the Nike Kobe 1 Protro ‘Final Seconds.’
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