The Nike Kobe 9 Elite will return for its 10-year anniversary.
It’s been eight years since the last time we saw Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant play his last game in the NBA, but there’s no bigger presence in the heart’s of NBA hoopers than the inspiration left behind by The Mamba.
NBA on Christmas Day became an instant spectacle every year Kobe Bryant and the Lakers participated in the showcase and now, 10 years later, Nike will return one of his iconic Christmas Day sneakers. Check out our Sneakers news for more upcoming releases and breaking content!
On December 25, 2014, the Los Angeles Lakers (9-20) faced the Chicago Bulls (20-9) for a Christmas Day matchup that saw the Bulls come away with the 113-93 win. Kobe Bryant did not play due to rehab from his achilles tear and his former teammate Pau Gasol scored a game-high 23 points for the Bulls.
A day later, the Nike Kobe 9 Elite was released in an all-red colorway for the holiday. Following Bryant’s achilles injury, Nike decided to make his next shoe the most secure basketball sneaker they could featuring an oversized ankle cuff.
It was the first sneaker in the Nike Kobe line to not be low-cut and while they were questionable for wearing in the streets, hoopers quickly saw the benefits to their stability. Most notabily, Ja Morant was a massive fan of the Kobe 9 Elite prior to signing his own deal with the brand.
As for this release, Nike will throw it back to 10 years ago and come with a Kobe 9 Elite Protro version for the Christmas colorway. The shoes are expected to release around the 2024 holiday and it’ll be interesting to see how they’re received this time around. While Nike has been consistent with their retro and protro releases of past Kobe sneakers, this particular model has been relatively stagnant since its original debut in 2014-15.
The Nike Kobe 9 Elite features the typical Nike Zoom technology on the outsole that we see uniform throughout all of Kobe’s sneakers. The uppers are made from soft Flyknit material and are meant to mold to the wearer’s foot. When looking at the high-top, we see additional padding throughout the tongue and heel to ensure stability through the achilles tendon. We also see a raised heel plate along the midsole to further stabilize the foot in place.
