Kobe Bryant’s Groundbreaking 9th Sneaker Returns in Its ‘What the Kobe?’ Style for the First Time Ever

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Kobe Bryant’s signature Nike line will see the return of a fan-favorite “What the Kobe?” design next week when a style that was originally released in 2015 hits stores.

Following a decade spent in the Nike archive, the Kobe 9 Elite High Protro “What the Kobe?” is set to receive its first reissue. One of the most experimental sneakers in Bryant’s innovative Nike series, the ’15 release of the Kobe 9 Elite High was notable for completely reversing the low-top trend the line had established years prior. 

After popularizing low-cut basketball sneakers beginning with the Kobe 4 in 2008, Bryant and designer Eric Avar went in the opposite direction with the late NBA legend’s ninth signature model. Inspired by ring shoes worn by former professional boxer Manny Pacquiao, Bryant decided to go fully high-top with the Kobe 9. The model also introduced another new concept to the franchise: Nike’s Flyknit technology, notable for being breathable and lightweight yet supportive while allowing for a wide range of aesthetics. 

There were many popular Nike Kobe 9 Elite colorways including the recently re-released “Masterpiece” and “Christmas” styles, but one of the most eye-catching uses of the then-new Flyknit material was seen on the “What the Kobe?” iteration. The multicolor sneaker is a continuation of Nike’s mash-up “What the?” theme, which originally debuted on 2007’s SB Dunk Low “What the Dunk” and has since been featured on signature lines belonging to athletes such as Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Paul Rodriguez.

For the Kobe 9 Elite High Protro version, which was introduced in August 2024 with the all-white “Halo” colorway, Nike added modern React drop-in cushioning to the midsole to give the sneaker a present-day performance edge. Protro, short for performance retro, was an idea conceptualized by Bryant intended to maintain the original design of his sneakers while upgrading them with new internal technologies. 

“We’re always looking to build on things that we’ve done in the past and try to improve them. Protro is about evolution and improving things that were,” Bryant said in a Nike press release.

After being teased by Vanessa Bryant on social media in April, the Nike Kobe 9 Elite High Protro “What the Kobe?” is officially set to be released on May 21 at 10 a.m. ET from Nike’s Snkrs platform and it will also be available from select Nike retailers. The style has a retail price of $240 and the sku for adult sizes is FZ7335-101. The “White/Reflective Silver/Chlorine Blue/Black” colorway will also be released in big kids’ sizing for $140.