Since his tragic death in January 2020, NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s sneakers have become some of the most in-demand styles on the market, with fans chasing after nearly every release Nike has issued. Yet an upcoming Kobe tribute on a classic Nike shoe may prove to be one of the hardest to obtain of them all.
The soon-to-be-released Nike Air Force 1 was first seen on the feet of Bryant’s eldest daughter, Natalia, at the 2024 Mamba League Invitational tournament in August (where wife Vanessa and daughters Bianka and Capri also debuted Kobe-themed Air Force 1s).
The sneaker features a mostly all-black leather upper which is debossed with Bryant’s sheath logo in a repeating pattern. Los Angeles Lakers colors fill in the accents, with gold and purple covering the branded portions including embroidery of Bryant’s jersey number and logo at the heels.
But the most significant detail of the sneaker is hidden on the insole, which boasts a “Mamba forever” tag and reveals that only 8,000 pairs of the colorway were produced. Each pair is individually numbered and will come packaged in a white box with a snake scale texture and Bryant’s signature in metallic gold.
Nike’s plans for future Kobe sneakers extend far beyond the Air Force 1. In 2025, a number of anticipated pairs from his signature line will be released including “What the” Kobe 8 and Kobe 9s, a new-look “All-Star 2.0” Kobe 6 and more. And this holiday season, the “Christmas” Nike Kobe 9 Elite High is expected to return for its 10th anniversary.
Although Nike has yet to formally add this limited-edition black Air Force 1 Low “Kobe Bryant” to SNKRS, a white colorway is scheduled to be released on Dec. 6, leading some to theorize the black pair will arrive the same day. The limited-edition style has a SKU of HV5122-001 and is expected to retail for $150.
