Following Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's 46th Birthday and the celebration of 8/24, or “Mamba Day,” Nike will continue the expansion of their most popular basketball sneakers as they reintroduce the Nike Kobe line. Working closely with Vanessa Bryant to keep the memory of Kobe at the forefront, Nike will release his Nike Kobe 8 silhouette in a tribute to the city that he helped create an identity for.

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In celebrating Bryant's birthday and Mamba Day, Nike recently released a whole slate of previous models from the recent iterations of the Nike Kobe line. Now, they're gearing up for even more widespread releases as we'll see a number of new colorways hit the popular silhouettes. This upcoming Nike Kobe 8 Protro is dedicated to the rare black jerseys the Lakers wore a handful of times during Kobe's playing days.

Nike Kobe 8 “Hollywood Nights”

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“Hollywood Nights” was the nickname given to the Lakers' all-black uniforms and has a special place in the heart of Los Angeles fans when remembering Kobe Bryant. Now, of course, the Lakers have updated their black uniforms to take more of a Black Mamba theme in memory of Bryant himself. Once playing under the jerseys, he now embodies fully what it means to wear the purple and gold.

The Nike Kobe 8 was always a favorite among hoopers for its sleek, snake-inspired construction and extreme comfortability on the court. This upcoming pair will feature an all-black woven upper to match the black midsole, tongue, and heel plate of the shoes. Lakers Gold is seen on the Nike Swooshes along with Bryant's signature on the heel support. We see a hit of purple on the back heel within the Mamba logo and the shoes are finished with a white Nike Zoom outsole. All in all, this is typical of a shoe we could have seen Bryant wearing during his playing days and news of this release is already feeling nostalgic to the early 2010's.

The official style code will read Black/University Gold-White-Court Purple and the shoes are slated to release on September 6, 2024 along with four other new colorways of the Nike Kobe 8 Protro. The shoes will see a release on Nike SNKRS App and should be available in limited quantities at select retailers. Don't miss out on your chance to grab a classic Lakers-inspired Kobe sneaker!