Vanessa Bryant, the widow of the late Kobe Bryant, has led the charge for the Kobe Ban energy with regularly scheduled teases at upcoming Nike Kobe footwear and exclusives. Next up in her feed of first looks is a never-before-seen Nike Kobe 5 that features an image of an x-ray imposed onto the upper of the shoe.
The skeletal graphics are likely that of Kobe’s own fingers, whose appendages were often the center of study for Nike’s development of the Black Mamba’s signature shoe line. The photos revealed by Vanessa only shoe the fore-foot down to the toe, with the anatomical display in white above a dark purple upper. A shot of the bottom sole reveals either a glow-in-the-dark or a bright visibility via a black light. The design concept could be inspired by the iconic championship ring t-shirt that laid out the various injuries he sustained on his hands.
Although it’s not clear if these are releasing, these could be the upcoming “Deep Royal Blue” colorway that’s currently expected to drop on Holiday 2024.
There’s so much to be excited about from the Kobe Brand: the Nike Kobe 4 “Girl Dad” is expected to release on May 31st, whereas the Kobe 8 “Venice Beach” will be arriving as soon as April.