Nike Kobe 4 Protro “Girl Dad”: Sneaker Release Date, Price, Where To Buy

Nike is back with its latest protro from Kobe Bryant’s line of sneakers, this time a special edition of the Kobe 4 Protro celebrating his role as a “girl dad” just in time for Father’s Day.

The Kobe 4 Protro “Girl Dad” drops on Friday for a retail price of $190.

As I’ve written about before, the Kobe 4 was a trailblazer when it came to popularizing low-cut basketball shoes in the 2000s. Also utilizing Nike’s then-new Flywire technology, which helped reduce weight, the Kobe 4 redefined what a high-end basketball sneaker could be. The shoe has aged incredibly well, and can still be seen on the NBA hardwood today.

It should be noted that unlike the Air Jordan line, the Kobe line doesn’t do straight retros. Rather, the Kobe line releases “protros.” For the uninitiated, the term “protro” was coined by Black Mamba himself, meant to unite the nostalgia of a retro with the high-end performance of a modern basketball shoe. Bryant himself told Bleacher Report in 2018 that a protro “isn’t a retro shoe, it’s about building on what’s come before and making it better.” Friday’s release does feature

The Kobe 4 Protro “Girl Dad” is different than other Kobe 4s in other ways as well, however. SNKRS notes that the shoe is inspired by a courtside moment featuring Kobe and his late daughter Gigi. The upper does not feature the traditional flywire and other modern materials often found on the Kobe 4. Instead, the upper of the “Girl Dad” 4s takes inspiration from Kobe’s Eagles beanie from that courtside moment with his daughter and is a “bicoastal” green nubuck mixed with other “premium materials.” The Swoosh and the inner lining are black and the shoe also features Kobe’s number 24 debossed on the back heel and a chrome heel clip with one side featuring the customary Kobe signature. The tongue features the same green nubuck as the upper, a silver Kobe logo and “Girl Dad” on the inner tongue. Continuing with the inspiration from this specific courtside moment, the insole is orange as a nod to the WNBA sweatshirt Kobe was wearing. The final pièce de résistance is an icy translucent outsole that ties a bow on a beautiful package.

The hard thing when it comes to Kobe Protros is that since his tragic passing in 2020, his sneakers have become nigh impossible to get for retail price. Even as the rest of the sneaker industry has cooled from its pandemic-era high, Kobe sneakers remain highly desired, with people willing to shell out on the resale market to make sure they get pair. To that end, the “Girl Dad” 4s are already on StockX with an average price of $354 on 419 sales. So, fair to say these will not be an easy copy. But best of lucky to all looking to pick up a pair.

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