Nike has unveiled its latest Kobe Brand shoe design which will be released on what would have been the basketball icon’s 45th birthday. The Kobe 8 Protro Halo was designed and created by Bryant’s widow, Vanessa according to a statement Nike released on Aug. 10.
Nike establishes via the statement that the Halo concept will be a yearly release set to commemorate Bryant on his birthday and as they have done with recent releases, they have partnered with the SNKRS app to release the shoe as well as “select global retailers”
As Black Enterprise previously reported, Nike is sticking with their strategy of limited releases for commemorative shoes. Nike is also hosting a tournament in Los Angeles in front of the Lakers Crypto.com Arena to take place on August 23-24. The Mamba League Invitational will feature eight teams consisting of the top high school players in the LA area, irrespective of gender.
According to NIke’s press release: “Partnering with Nike Basketball, Vanessa Bryant imagined and created the Halo shoe concept and launch as a way to honor Kobe’s birthday each year. The Halo concept will be an annual release that will honor and celebrate this special date.”
Nike began working with Kobe on the Kobe Brand 8 line in 2012 and at the time of release, featured the lightest design that Nike had produced for the Laker legend in accordance with his wishes that the shoe should feel like an extension of his foot.
Both Nike and Vanessa Bryant used social media to promote their collaboration, as Bryant posted a design on Instagram that featured a black and white image of a shoe touching a basketball. Bryant captioned her post, “Kobe 8 “Halo” 8.23.23 🤍 This will be one of many Kobe 8 “Halo” styles coming soon.🤍”.
Nike took to Twitter/X for its promotion efforts, posting an image of two shoes on its post which read “The legacy continues. The Kobe Protro 8 ‘Halo’ marks the continuation of a storied legacy, pairing a triple white colorway with the iconic Kobe 8 silhouette, embodying the timelessness of an icon never forgotten.”
The legacy continues.
The Kobe Protro 8 ‘Halo’ marks the continuation of a storied legacy, pairing a triple white colorway with the iconic Kobe 8 silhouette, embodying the timelessness of an icon never forgotten.
Arriving globally August 23 in SNKRS. Download the App to get… pic.twitter.com/Lr0WS4DlKM
— Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball) August 10, 2023