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A Kobe Bryant sneaker tradition will continue this year with the launch of a “Mambacita” style paying tribute to his daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant.
This year, Bryant’s latest upgraded signature sneaker, the Nike Kobe 3 Low Protro, will be the canvas for the heartwarming colorway. Like previous Mambacita installments, the upcoming Kobe 3 Low Protro features a predominantly black-and-white colorway that’s accented with metallic gold branding.
On the latest pair, this materializes with a white mesh upper surrounded by the Kobe 3’s signature basketball net-inspired TPU caging. The toe, tongue and heel of the sneaker feature a glossy black patent leather, which gives the colorway a dressy, Air Jordan 11-like aesthetic. The aforementioned gold accents appear on the dubrae, tongue and heel, the last of which features “GiGi” text above the Nike Swoosh and Bryant’s signature sheath logo. The pair also comes packaged with a metallic gold heart-shaped keychain charm.
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The Kobe Mambacita line was introduced in 2022 following the tragic 2020 passing of Kobe and Gigi. The tribute concept was introduced after a brief contractual split between Nike and Bryant’s widow, Vanessa. In 2021, Vanessa expressed frustration on Instagram after the initial Mambacita sneaker, the Nike Kobe 6 Protro, ended up in the hands of leakers despite the shoe not having been yet approved for sale. In March of 2022, Vanessa and Nike reached a new agreement which would see 100 percent of sales from the Mambacita shoes donated to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation nonprofit.
While the images featured here show the upcoming colorway in grade-school sizing, readers can expect a matching look on the men’s iteration.
The Nike Kobe 3 Protro Low Mambacita is set to be released on Gigi’s birthday, May 1, for $190 and will be available in full-family sizing from Nike’s Snkrs app and select Nike Basketball retailers including Afew. The men’s style code for the sneaker is IQ3916-100 and its full colorway is White/Metallic Gold/Black.