Kobe Bryant's 'Draft Day' Nike Kobe 5 finally on the way
Nike has made massive leaps in expanding the sneaker catalogue of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant 's signature basketball line. The Nike Kobe remains the hottest basketball sneaker on the market and the creatives in Beaverton, Oregon continue to re-emerge classic sneakers from the illustrious line. Come next year, we'll see an ode to the team that originally drafted Bryant, the Charlotte Hornets , as the popular Nike Kobe 5 Protro makes a return.
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In the 1996 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets selected Kobe Bryant from Lower Merion High School with the thirteenth overall pick. That same night, the Hornets traded Bryant to the Lakers in exchange for eventual Hall-of-Famer Vlade Divac. It's safe to say the Lakers were happy with the trade as Bryant went on to define their franchise and become one of the greatest players the league has ever seen.
The Nike Kobe 5 was originally released in December 2009 and worn by Bryant throughout the 2009-2010 season as the Lakers eventually won back-to-back NBA Championships. Shortly after Bryant won his second-straight Finals MVP, the Nike Kobe 5 was released in a "Hornets" colorway, paying homage to the team that initially snagged him in the draft.
Nike Kobe 5 Protro "Draft Day"
The Nike Kobe 5 Protro returns in its original structure following similar, yet updated spec from the previous 2010 release. We see the shoes based in a Nike Zoom outsole featuring a translucent teal color matching the Charlotte Hornets color scheme. The uppers are done in white and feature Flywire technology throughout the midfoot panels.
The Charlotte Hornet themes are furthered with the turquoise blue ankle collar and sockliner extending through to the back heel plate. The Nike Swoosh is the same color in a metallic hue as we see speckled laces finish the look.
