The Nike Kobe 8 Protro ‘Mambacita’ Sneaker Honors Gigi Bryant on Her Birthday
For the third year in a row, Nike will release a special-edition of a Kobe sneaker paying tribute to Gigi Bryant on her birthday.
The Nike Kobe 8 Protro “Mambacita” continues the theme set by its processors with a white and black color scheme matching the uniforms of her Mamba Sports Academy team uniforms. New to this year’s iteration of the “Mambacita” series in an all-over butterfly print for the engineered mesh upper. Gold detailing also makes a return through the embroidered Swoosh and Kobe logo on the tongue, while the heel features “Gigi” on the left shoe and her no. 2 on the right.
On what would have been her 16th birthday in 2022, Nike released the Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita” as its first release honoring Gigi after she passed away alongside her father in 2020. The tradition then continued in 2023 with a Kobe 4 Protro and now appears as if it should be a fixture for some time to come.
Nike is also planning to release the Kobe 4 Protro “Girl Dad” at the tail end of May as an ode to the relationship Kobe had with his four daughters. In April, three other Kobe sneakers got their first-ever rerelease on the anniversary of his 60-point performance of his final NBA game in 2016, which is now referred to as “Mamba Day.”
The Nike Kobe 8 Protro “Mambacita” will release May 1 through the Snkrs app and select thid-party retailers. Sizing will be available for men ($190), grade-schoolers ($120) and pre-schoolers ($90).
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.