New Nike Kobe Protro References One of Basketball’s Biggest ‘What If?’ Moments

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A Nike Kobe Bryant sneaker referencing how the NBA legend’s career could have panned out will receive the Protro treatment in 2025.

Although Bryant spent the entirety of his 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, things almost turned out differently. Ahead of the 1996 NBA draft, the Lakers plotted to acquire the then-high schooler Bryant by using center Vlade Divac as a bargaining chip.

The Lakers were able to persuade the Charlotte Hornets to give up their No. 13 draft pick for Divac, instructing the Hornets to select Bryant. Days later, the plan was nearly thwarted when Divac threatened to retire from the league instead of joining Charlotte. It’s said that if Divac followed through with retirement, the Hornets would have kept Bryant on their roster but ultimately, the Lakers’ strategy prevailed — and they even ended up with enough salary space to acquire legend Shaquille O’Neal that same summer.

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The “what if” moment went down in hoops history and Nike turned it into a recurring theme on Bryant’s sneakers . First seen on the Kobe 4 in 2009, the Hornets colors appeared on the Kobe 5 in 2010 and would later be used sporadically on his sneakers . The “White/Varsity Purple/Orion Blue” color scheme is fairly straightforward, but it’s always been a highlight for fans and historians alike.

14 years after the first “Draft Day” Kobe 5, the sneaker will return in upgraded Protro form in 2025. The Kobe 5 was the third Nike Kobe model to receive a Protro update, which was a “performance retro” idea conceptualized by Bryant prior to his untimely passing. Rather than simply rerelease his shoes, the Protro line adds modern technologies to the Nike Kobe sneakers without altering their overall design.

The Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Draft Day” is expected to be released in 2025 at a retail price of $190. Even sooner, a Halloween-timed “X-ray” Nike Kobe 5 Protro will be released on Oct. 17.

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