One of Kobe Bryant’s Most Popular Nike Sneakers Is Arriving in a New Lightning-Colored Style Soon
One month after Vanessa Bryant teased previously unseen upcoming Nike Kobe releases, fresh looks and details of the styles are emerging. A highlight is the Nike Kobe 4 Protro “CHBL,” a brand new colorway inspired by the Chinese High School Basketball League.
This new Nike Kobe 4 Protro has a full colorway of “Lightening/Black/Soft Yellow/Dusty Cactus” which converts to a predominantly bright yellow which features a gradient fade to softer tones near the heel. Black accents fill in the visible branding, while small Dusty Cactus-colored hits are featured on the outsole and on a custom insole graphic reading “touch the line,” a reference to a Kobe Bryant quote from a 2016 TedX talk in Shanghai.
Nike has long had a presence in the Chinese basketball scene. The company established the CHBL in 1998, the same year Kobe visited China for the first time, and its athletes have had strong connections with fans in China for decades. Among them, Kobe was particularly beloved and is widely credited for boosting basketball’s popularity in the country.
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Also revealed by Vanessa in April was a “Mambacita” Kobe 9 Low Protro EM, a tribute to Gianna “Gigi” Bryant and her impact on women’s sports. That style was released Thursday in adult and big kids’ sizing and quickly sold out from Nike’s SNKRS platform. A third pair — a Kobe-branded Air Force 1 Low in “Soft Yellow” — was also teased by Vanessa, but further release details have not yet been announced.
Nike has recently issued other CHBL-inspired sneakers including Devin Booker’s Book 1.
The Nike Kobe 4 Protro “CHBL” pictured here is expected to be released soon for a retail price of $190. The pair has a SKU of IH0587-700. Like the aforementioned Book 1, it’s likely that this Kobe 4 Protro will be released exclusively overseas.
