What Is the Kobe Protro?
Product News
Learn everything you need to know about the Kobe Protro series, shoes that pay homage to original Kobes updated with modern-day technology, inspired by Kobe's dedication to always getting better.
Key Innovation and Benefits of Protro
Kobe Bryant's legacy is one of unparalleled dedication, showing us that greatness is achieved through relentless hard work and an unbreakable spirit. Nike continues to apply Kobe’s constant pursuit of better to its Protro footwear and, in doing so, helps carry out the legacy of the late basketball superstar. The idea behind Protro is to constantly evolve and improve Kobe sneakers with innovation, giving hoopers an advantage on the court, while staying true to the original designs.
Protro, or performance retro, is an idea first conceptualized by Kobe to combine the original design elements of the classic Kobe sneaker with modern-day performance technology. When Nike first presented the concept of a retro launch concept to Kobe, he urged them to instead insert modern Nike innovation into the retro silhouette to allow hoopers to be their best on-court selves.
“[Kobe] was always trying to figure out what he could do to be that 1% better than everybody else and have that competitive advantage,” said Bronson Yim, Kobe footwear product manager at Nike. “So when it comes to our shoes, we want to make sure that we're replicating that and honoring that and that change.”
With every Protro, the updates to the original designs are intentionally incremental while maintaining the external design from the original models, stitch for stitch. Just as Kobe was known for his strong attention to detail, Nike product designers are laser-focused in their approach, carefully upgrading the original shoe with modern-day technologies, including improvements in cushioning, traction, weight reduction and overall durability.
“Like an old-school car, we kind of want to keep the outside the same and upgrade the inside,” Yim said. “So we're doing as much innovation as we can on the inside rather than the outside and making sure that we're offering that same aesthetic and fit that the consumer once had.”
The Protro approach is a blend of timeless design and modern-day performance technology that has allowed classic Kobe sneakers to stand the test of time — making them practical and functional for today’s athletes and hoopers. To continue Kobe’s standard for excellence, the Nike design team collects data and athlete feedback to make incremental adjustments to the original designs, enhancing performance in Protro models. By honoring the past while embracing the future, Protro exemplifies the ongoing innovation and commitment to Kobe’s mindset, known as the Mamba Mentality.
“We’re always looking to build on things that we’ve done in the past and try to improve them,” Kobe said. “Protro is about evolution and improving things that were.”
Kobe Protro Launches: A Timeline
Nike has released several Kobe Protros from 2018 to 2024. In 2018, the Kobe 1 Protro debuted, boasting a full-length Zoom Air unit. The Protro 4, 5, 6, 8 have since been released to great anticipation and acclaim.
Inspired by the low profile of soccer boots and Kobe pushing Nike product teams to think differently at a time when everyone was wearing highs, the original Kobe 4 shoe was launched in 2009. It helped transition the Kobe product line — and the basketball industry — to low tops.
“The 4 being low, being inspired by soccer, inspired by being low cut, low to the ground, really gave consumers a new experience that changed basketball forever,” Yim says.
The biggest upgrades to the Kobe 4, 5, 6 and their Protro versions are to traction as well as to Cushlon foam for cushioning and support. In August 2023, Nike continued to pursue perfection with its launch of the Kobe 8 Protro, which features React drop-in technology and updates to the tongue and upper.
“Knowing that the React is a lot more durable, gives you a little more energy efficiency and responsiveness—it really pushed us to make sure that we're finding the best foam packaging we can for this shoe,” Yim says.
In summer 2024, Nike releases the Kobe 9 Protro, which includes the high and low silhouettes as well as an engineered mesh version, similar to the original launch of this model in 2014. In lieu of Lunarlon cushioning, the designers added Nike React cushioning to maximize responsiveness in the new Kobe 9 Protro, as well as enhanced midsole traction design detail to shore up grip and stop on a dime.
“I feel like [Kobe is] definitely influencing us still, and he will continue to be the gold standard of how we operate,” Yim says.