Sneaker News Jalen Brunson made his first career appearance as an All-Star Game starter wearing the black Nike Kobe 5 “Year Of The Mamba”. Brunson is one of a few select players in the NBA that wears Player Exclusives of Kobe footwear.
Nike Basketball started off 2025 with one of their best ad campaigns yet, centered around the Mamba Mentality and the relentless drive for self-improvement. Titled “Have A Hard Year”, the new spot featured a reel of athletes challenging themselves physically, yelling “Kobe!” to give them that extra push at the end.
The celebrated campaign was highlighted by Nike’s “Year Of The Mamba” Kobe 5 Protro footwear; offered in a varsity purple and bold red option, this elegant take on the Kobe 5 model featured a golden snake embroidered on the upper, wrapping around the Swoosh. Both pairs released in January to huge fanfare.
Vanessa Bryant recently revealed a third all-black variation of the Kobe 5, with the only touch of color appearing via the gold Sheath logo on the tongue. With the mass popularity and appeal of all-black footwear, we know these would be an all-out hit if they ever touched the retail space. However, Kobe’s widow only reveals special editions and PEs, so unfortunately these won’t be hitting stores anytime soon.
In other Kobe news, here’s the latest on the upcoming Kobe 6 “Dodgers” dropping in April; see our Sneaker Release Dates page for more updates.
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