The Olympics roll on, with the men’s and women’s U.S. basketball squads both advancing out of pool play and favored on DraftKings Sportsbook to bring home the gold (the men are -600 favorites and the women are -3000 favorites).
Of course, the men’s USA Basketball program has seen great success throughout its history, but especially since the integration of NBA players for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Basically every NBA player of note for the last 30 years have played in at least one Olympics. And, of course, that includes Kobe Bryant, who was a key member of the Redeem Team in 2008 in Beijing.
Now, Kobe admittedly played in that Olympic tournament in the Nike Hyperdunk, which was the IT shoe of that summer when it came to hoops, but Nike also created a special golden edition of his famed Kobe 4 model to celebrate Mamba’s Olympic exploits in Beijing. That shoe originally released the following summer in July 2009 and now it is coming back as Team USA steamrolls its way to another gold. The Kobe 4 Protro “Gold Medal” releases on Tuesday for a retail price of $190.
As I’ve written about in the past, the Kobe 4 is famous for ushering in the age of low-cut basketball sneakers, which took some convincing to convert low-cut skeptics. The shoe also prominently featured Nike’s then-new Flywire technology, which helped reduce the weight of the sneaker. Even though the shoe was a standout performer in its era, Kobe was adamant prior to death in 2020 that when his sneakers got re-released that they not just be a carbon copy, but rather updated versions intended for play by modern hoopers. Thus, the Protro was born. So Kobe stans get the best of both worlds – a sneaker which holds immense nostalgia but can also be worn on court to emulate Mamba (to the best of their abilities). Nike notes that this Kobe 4 Protro has “been retooled for a smooth, responsive sensation underfoot, while the padded collar and Flywire cables work to help contain your foot. Soft yet resilient, the foam midsole and Zoom Air in the heel create a comfortable feel with energy return.”
The majority of the upper for the Kobe 4 Protro “Gold Medal” features gold, with a white midsection with blue flywire and a blue Swoosh with red outline. The U.S. color scheme extends to the outsole, with clear white, red blue and gold, as well as the tongue, which is blue and offset by blue and red laces. An additional nod to Kobe’s time with USA Basketball is on the back of the sneaker, with his Olympic No. 10 replacing his Lakers No. 24. The insoles continue the Olympic story, with an image of a gold medal with the date of 08.24.08, which is the date of the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal game which saw the U.S. defeat Kobe’s teammate Pau Gasol and Spain, 118-107. How apropos — Kobe won a gold medal on 08/24/08. Amazing.
The Kobe 4 Protro is currently available on StockX, and has an average sale price of $320 on 196 transactions, good for a 62% price premium. As always, Kobe sneakers remain incredibly popular and sought, so this will not be an easy pair to pick up. But best of luck to everyone looking to pick up a pair!
Nike Kobe 4 Protro “Gold Medal” Release Details
| Sneaker | Release Date | Retail Price |
| Nike Kobe 4 Protro “Gold Medal” | August 6 | $190 |
To see more of this month’s releases, check out our release date calendar.
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