First Look At The Nike Kobe 8 Protro “Year Of The Horse”

A fitting return twelve years later.

Matt Varga September 29, 2025

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The Nike x Kobe partnership is absolutely bustling. So much so, the run of Kobe Air Force 1 releases and relatively accessible Kobe 9 “Team Bank” colorways may have distracted from the enduring centerpiece of the partnership, the earnest “Protro” reissue series. Even if the newswire has been somewhat devoid of splashy drops in that lane, trust and believe that they haven’t receded from view within Beaverton.

Look to confirmation of the Kobe 1’s return to shelves, the continuing new era debut of the Kobe 3, or maintained efforts surrounding beloved, established silhouettes like the Kobe 8. Enter the Nike Kobe 8 “Year of the Horse,” revitalized from its 2014 introduction and naturally lining up with its namesake during the 12-year Chinese Zodiac calendar. Though the outside arrangement is extremely eye-catching, you’ll find the strongest nod to that commemorative amtosphere with a Hanzi stamp on the interior tongue.

From these first look images at the 2026 pair, said vibrant do-up returns faithfully, an overlapping smattering of rigid geometry that creates an overall abstract profile. It doesn’t take a Mamba historian to note that those sort of themes remain one of the more lasting impressions of the Kobe 8 as a whole, having expressed similarly heady arrangements with colorways like the “What The” or “Venice Beach.”

The Nike Kobe 8 Protro “Year of the Horse” is expected to land January 2026, carrying a $180 sticker price. Catch the full set of first look images included within the gallery below and watch our Sneaker Release Dates landing page for more info as it comes.

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WHERE TO BUY

Mens Nike Kobe 8 Protro "Year Of The Horse"

SKU: IM0594-600

RETAIL PRICE: $180

RELEASE DATE: Jan 2026

US Jan 2026

Retailer	Release type	Status
Nike SNKRS US	Standard	Coming Soon

Show All Releases

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2014 release pictured at the top of this page. Photo via Stadium Goods.

Written by

Matt Varga, Junior Editor

Matt Varga is an Editor at SneakerNews. Initially earning a degree in Video Arts and Technology, he got his start in video editing and writing in the music world — primarily on hip-hop and electronic. A long-standing interest in sneakers led him to switching over to footwear. An avid collector, his favorite sneaker of all time comes down to either the Air Jordan 1 “Black Toe” and Air Jordan 5 “Laney,” his first ever pick-ups. When he’s not writing, you can find Matt cooking, traveling, attending concerts and when weather permits, on the handball court.