Sneaker News For the ongoing 2025 season, Nike has issued an inspirational Player Exclusive to its college partners in remembrance of Kay Yow, the legendary women’s basketball coach who played a much larger role in spreading awareness of breast cancer in the competitive athletic world. Marked by the Y-shaped ribbon, these Kay Yow PEs have become something of a tradition within Nike Basketball, even partnering with Kevin Durant’s signature line and the celebrated Aunt Pearl series.
For 2025, Nike presents the Kobe 9 EM, the Engineered Mesh version of the Kobe 9 signature shoe. A silhouette that’s slated to return this Fall 2025 season, the Kobe 9 EM gets an early look via this Player Exclusive, decorated in an updated pink colorway that features the Y-shaped ribbon on the heel that works in tandem with a multitude of pinks shades. Currently, the women’s basketball team at Duke, Oregon, and Ohio State have received the footwear; more are likely to follow.
Back in 2014, Nike did indeed create a Kobe 9 EM “Think Pink” for athletes only; it varies via the pink hues and the black midsole/tongue combination, while the Y-shaped ribbon sits on the medial heel.
