At the start of the collegiate basketball season, six Nike-sponsored basketball programs were elected to introduce the first-ever cohort of Mamba Academies. Receiving Kobe Bryant’s signature discography in updated Protro toolings with custom school logos, the University of South California has become the latest institution to receive a Player Exclusive version of the Nike Kobe 8 Protro.
Returning in performance retro flair this past Spring, Kobe Bryant’s eighth signature shoe has traveled from Baton Rouge to Connecticut and Lexington before making one of its last stops in Southern California. Each Mamba Program is bestowed with three separate colorways coordinating with the team’s home, away and neutral contests. For USC, the heralded React cushioned silhouette appears in “Cardinal”, white and jet-black uppers. While the school’s synonymous SC logo ascertains the tongue tab of the white and red pairs, the pitch-dark effort stands alone in connection with the team’s color-matched uniforms with cursive “So. Cal” branding.
The Nike Kobe 8 Protro “USC” PE is exclusive for the men’s and women’s basketball programs, but all three colorways can be seen ahead in detailed imagery.
In other news, the Jordan 3 “Midnight Navy” releases tomorrow, December 16th.