“Mamba Day” Kobe Protros: Sneaker Release Date, Price, Where To Buy

Nike is tapping into its Mamba Mentality as it prepares to drop a trio of Protros to celebrate the late Kobe Bryant on April 13.

April 13 is the anniversary of Mamba’s final game of his illustrious career with the Lakers, a 60-point performance against the Utah Jazz. Nike is marking the anniversary of Mamba Day by dropping THREE of his Protro models intended to tell a story of Kobe’s life and career. Those models will the be the Kobe 4 Protro “Philly,” the Kobe 6 Protro “Italian Camo” and the Kobe 8 Protro “Venice Beach.” All will drop on April 13 for a retail price of $190.

All three models are part of the Kobe Protro line, which means that unlike, say, Jordan retros these shoes are not built the same way they were originally and instead have been modernized with modern play in mind, at least in theory. As such, many of these models are frequently seen on the feet of college and pro stars today, including the schools designated as special Kobe schools, including the back-to-back National Champion UConn Huskies.

The Kobe 4 Protro “Philly” starts the story in the place of Kobe’s birth, Philadelphia. The Kobe 4 is famous for ushering in the age of low-cut basketball sneakers, which took some convincing to convert the skeptics. The shoe is also noteworthy for prominently featuring Nike’s then-new Flywire technology, which helped reduce the weight of the sneaker and usher in an age of ultra-lightweight sneakers. It could be argued that the Kobe 4 is the most noteworthy basketball sneaker of the post-2000 era.

The “Philly” stays true to the original design, with a majority royal blue upper with red and trim and accent throughout and a white Swoosh and midsole. Additionally, there is a star pattern in the upper ankle area, with Kobe’s No. 24 on the back and his signature on the lateral side of the right sneaker. In terms of cushioning, the heel area features Zoom Air which Nike says provides a responsive feel. The colorway originally dropped in 2009 and currently the 2024 edition can be found on StockX for an average sales price of $356 on 176 sales.

Kobe moved to Italy with his family, as his dad Joe “Jellybean” Bryant’s basketball career took him abroad. This period of Kobe’s life is represented by the Kobe 6 Protro “Italian Camo.” The Kobe 6, originally designed by Eric Avar, was noteworthy for its snakeskin-like upper. During the roll-out of the Kobe 6 back in 2010, Kobe described the shoe as being very character-driven and that is certainly is an apt description. The shoe features a flexible Zoom Air unit along with responsive foam and the insoles also carry on the late Bryant’s request that he wanted a shoe that would mold to his foot.

Nike says this colorway, which originally dropped in 2011, draws “inspiration from Italian military fatigues along with Italy’s diverse landscape, the snakeskin camouflage fosters an earthy finish that represents the intersection of natural beauty and urban life.” The olive and black upper is definitely reminiscent of both snakeskin and camo and is offset by a bright red Swoosh as well as a red Kobe logo on the tongue as well as a red Kobe signature on the back heel. The Kobe 6 is most known for the Grinch colorway, which Mamba debuted in 2010 and Nike recently did a fresh take on last year for the Reverse Grinches. The 2011 “Italian Camo” currently has an average StockX sales price of $846 on six sales, while the upcoming 2024 edition has an average StockX sales price of $433 on 249 sales.

Finally, Kobe spent his entire career in Los Angeles and this portion of his life is represented by the Kobe 8 Protro “Venice Beach. This model debuted on the bright courts of Venice Beach back in the day when it first dropped.

The Kobe 8, originally released during the 2012-13 season, continued the line’s low-cut design language and was the lightest Kobe sneaker released to that point. As part of the Protro effort to bring the Kobe 8 up to modern hoops standards, Nike has replaced the original Lunarlon drop cushioning with Nike React cushion. The great WearTesters YouTube channel has an excellent explanation of this change in its review of the new “Venice Beach” Protro.

Nike notes that the “Venice Beach” 8 Protro draws inspiration from California summers and the “vibrant design creates a connection to the spirited neighborhood landscape of Venice Beach.” The grey upper features hits of red, yellow and an almost teal blue, with that same blue featured on the midsole and the heel cap. The bright yellow Kobe logo on the tongue and the yellow and red laces stand out, as does the translucent outsole. The Kobe logo can subtly be seen behind the back heel cap in a grey that matches the upper. The “Venice Beach” 8 Protro has the lowest average sales price — but with the most sales — on StockX ahead of the trio’s release at $326 on 467 sales.

Kobe product has been extremely difficult to get for retail price since Kobe’s tragic passing in 2020. Hopefully, the fact that there are three models dropping all at once will help supply at least come close to meeting demand, but that’s far from a guarantee. I should also note, that Adidas is also looking to get in on the Mamba Day action by dropping one its old Kobe models, although obviously with a different name. The Adidas Crazy 98 will also drop on Saturday for a retail price of $150 for those interested in the model Kobe wore in 1998.

Best of luck to all looking to pick up a pair!

To see more of this month’s releases, check out our release date calendar.