Not a retro line — the most-worn shoe in the NBA, full stop. Under Vanessa Bryant's stewardship, Protro releases sell out monthly, and Caitlin Clark's Kobe 6 PE was reported as the league's single most-worn shoe.
Footwork-obsessed perfectionist whose Mamba Mentality made his low-tops the default choice of serious hoopers everywhere.
The Kobe 4 normalized low-tops in the NBA; the Protro program turned grief into the most vital legacy franchise in sneakers. Vanessa Bryant's partnership with Nike keeps a full release calendar running — Kobe 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 Protros all dropped or are dropping in 2026 at $190–$210 — and the line bridges both leagues: an April 2026 report found Caitlin Clark's Kobe 6 PE colorway was the most-worn shoe among NBA players. A signature line so strong that the biggest star in women's basketball wore it while waiting for her own.
Retro announcements land in the same alert as new signatures.