I agree with you that these recent Kobe releases aren’t living up to why Kobe initially agreed to re-release his shoes. The plan was to only retro it with the specific purpose of improving performance and pushing technology. There’s no way Kobe would allow these releases with minimal and/or no improvements.
@j190phil no... you can't market a shoe as a "protro" (performance retro) if there are no real performance upgrades to the shoe. That's what Kobe envisioned for his line. We as consumers expect those shoes to be better than the original release.
First of all I love Kobe, but he let them release 4s without any major upgrades, 1s were fire 6s are great but some issues with durability, then Nike just done Nike thing… 8s are the worst till now, will see how the performance review gonna be on these, that’s probably still gonna be L on SNKRS
"To just put the Kobe 1 out was not an option for him," Nike Basketball footwear product director Tony Grosso tells B/R Kicks. "He would not budge on that." Kobe wanted his shoe to be "built for the professional athlete in 2018," according to Grosso. There were other interviews were designers wanted to just put suede or change in materials but Kobe outright would say “No”, that he wanted improvements in his shoes not just retroes. Unfortunately, it looks like Nike, without Kobe, is just doing what they originally thought of when they wanted to release his shoes.
@@hworth3 oh you got the Moonwalk Michael Jackson's? Those are sick as well. I had the high tops in Brave Blue colorway a long time ago, played in them till they fell apart. I was in love with how they looked and how they performed.
If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. I’m a strong believer in if a traction pattern and rubber compound works great just keep spamming that action until it doesn’t work anymore. The curry flow, it’s been the same for about three or four years, but it works really well. I don’t get why everyone wants it to change… It’s boring, but it works and if you try to change it, there’s a good likelihood it’s going to be worse
One of the best comments, literally no one is going to look at the bottom for your shoes when you hoop. Keep that thick herringbone in there, stop the unnecessary changes. That argument really only applies to collectors but they don’t represent the entire sneaker market when it comes to buyers.
the curry flow was the exact thing on my mind, yeah the outsoles mostly look alike nowadays but you'd be VERY hard pressed to find a better traction shoe than those because the whole setup just works.
quick rant from a huge fan of the nike kobe line... i could be the only one, but since they both reached an agreement to release more kobes i see it as vanessa & nike have just been trying to capitalize on the hype of these shoes. i might be stating the obvious but a part of me doesn't want to believe that vanessa would do that without good reason. but all in all, its all been in bad taste and the optics of the situation scream greed. it's unfortunate that these "protros" aren't getting their just due and since kobe's passing, i'm starting to understand more & more why he was leaning towards starting his own brand (at least that's what i remember reading around the time of him renegotiating his nike contract). obviously i don't know kobe as a person, but from studying interviews (especially post-retirement) he always seemed genuine in creating things as best as they can be - whether its having a huge hand in designing his signature shoes with nike to The Punies podcast, his books, etc. He built Granity Studios because no others wanted to truly invest in his creative ideas rather they just wanted to slap his name on their ideas & collect his fan base. personally, it's just been really sad to watch people fight over these shoes that once sat on the back shelves of nike outlets and now sit on stockx for 3x the price. granted, the resell prices on each release feel like they're getting lower and i'm starting to see more people hit on snkrs/raffles. but with the decline of nike, they have no choice to make back their money with releasing sure fire sell outs somewhat frequently. idk these are just my thoughts and what i truly believe. would love to hear what others think, but yknow in a respectful manner lol.
Kobe’s death has not only affected the availability to his shoes but the quality of the Protro models. He would not allow these drop in midsole to be limited to React foams. They need the drop in full length zoom as well if not a forefoot or heel zoom plus react/lunar/cushion setup
Can I but a separate, better drop in for these shoes and put them in? Or is that not possible? I'm new to all this and trying to get some good bball shoes for my son
I gotta say that seeing the pics of the 9 high instantly reminded me of the time i used to play indoor soccer after high school. I distinctly remember one day when some older boys that had already gratuaded were waiting our training to end to play basketball on the court and one of those dudes had a Kobe 9 high in the Lakers colorway. That shoe was so pretty and different from everything else that i had seen before that it marked me, to the point i would focus on high tops whenever i would get a new shoe, despite never being able to find an actual Kobe 9 in stores near me. Its such a shame that Nike didnt gave them the actual Protro treatment but i will still try to get one to finally fulfill this decade long desire lol
This is greatest basketball shoe i’ve ever had in my life. I’m so excited that’s its back. I had the EM Dusty Cactus, Beethoven, and High Inspiration colorways. I had the chance to get another pair for cheap at sneakercon but I was being stingy back in 2018 💀. I pray I get for retail but I’ll do what needs to be done lol
I had a pair of kobe 9 ext mids years back. They were all black with chrome and gum bottoms, i remember only wearing them casually but the grip on those were insane. The Nike PG 5s integrated the same traction patterns which was really good
I understand the frustration. For me, the pros are my chance of getting the shoes in the first place. I probably wouldn’t wear them on court anyways, but I get why people are disappointed in the performance.
They’re not gonna do it but atp they should just rebrand to retro and scratch the Protro moniker if they’re not going to update the tech. At the end of the day it’s $$$ and will sell regardless due to Kobe’s name attached to the shoe. Someone mentioned that if it ain’t broke don’t fix it and the changes that they did make to the shoe are pretty minute so even if they didn’t revamp it, it should remain a great performer. Aesthetically, I am loving it. This is probably the closest we get to Beethoven’s (barring a retro), HTM Milan’s, and Kobe’s 9 High PEs where the shoes feature a clean white flyknit and for that I’m so stoked. Hoping I can grab a pair for retail, esp in this economy lol! Great vid, Nightwing 🤙🏽 appreciate you always! That Milli coming 🔜
You were preaching on the usage of the Nike GT cut zoom usage, just recreate it and throw it in the Kobes! Pickup game would be Juggernaut, Sabertooth, Wolverine, and Beast.
I cant unsee the fact that you never blink, I've been watching the channel couple of months already and I'm amazed how you never blink, it's unbeliavable.
I think jean grey, rogue, night crawler, and quick silver would be unstopable. If any opponents become a problem I would ask rogue to go as Shaq would say "put them paws on them."
You really are entertaining my guy Chris! Been reading your blogs back then for shoe reviews when I still didn't know you had a RU-vid channel. Great work! Love the vids
If the traction works, put it on more models. Growing up in the 80s, there were years upon years of different models in the force and flight lines that shared the same sole, and often midsole. And they sold year after year.
Man I remember being 14 years old when the Kobe 9s dropped. I always wanted a pair but never had the funds. Got a job in high school and was able to get some Kobe 11s in 2016. Then 2018 came along and the Kobe protro 1 came out. I copped them and so pumped to get every release I missed out as a kid. Bummer that they aren’t following in the footsteps of the Kobe 1 protro. Not sure if there is anyone out there in their early 20s that has experience this or not.
Love you guys, I love the chemistry between you guys, also elite shoe reviews, come to you for all new drops. I can't find a vid where you talk about shoe bags, please let me know the site and your discount code
Man the only saving grace they could have done is fix the flyknit and make it more pure just like how adidas does with primeknit in bball sneakers (Crazylight boost, Drose, Crazy Explosive) then it would still be dope. But nike being nike.
If only Nike brought that ID system/customize your own Kobe's again for each customer in response to BS resellers and scalpers... And with new customized tech to add full length Zoom Air or just two forefoot and heel Zoom units... Only one can dream...
Magneto( he can adjust the rim in our favor and against the enemy), rogue (flying is def a benefit) , nightcrawler for teleportation, and beast( strong , solid IQ, seems like a good chemistry guy)
As a Kobe Fan who get to cop these re-release of Kobe's Line, I do have to shell extra money out to actually get the tech I want out of the shoe. I buy aftermarket drop in midsoles, zoom pods, strobels and incorporate them just to make the performance even more suitable on what's my preference. I do hope someone from Nike is reading and actually listening to their customers.
Just came from my closet. I have 14 of these OG pairs with most I've hooped in. 3 pairs are the EXT casual pair. Easily my favorite Kobe series, but I think Kobe would've demanded for "protro" on this release.
Kobe my favourite player all time, I almost cried when he died. Fun fact, I saw people online saying he was dead and thought he was trolling, I saw your post (nightwing/Chris) and that’s when I knew it was legit (you wouldn’t joke about that)
I wish they’d done what serious player only done and given us multiple mid soles that we can purchase or give us a Nike by you with drop in midsoles. Nike has the tech to give us this.
The Kobe 9 my all time favorite I never got to own ): we were going through rough times when these came out. I hope I can get my hands on one of these this time
I agree with EVERYTHING you stated especially about how it could’ve been improved to be an actual protro. I’ve never owned a pair of Kobe 9s and I probably won’t since I refuse to play the game of it being limited. As for the question of the day, I’d pick morph (because he can change into anyone and would be my star player), wolverine (he’ll be like Barkley…solid screens, probably an amazing rebounder), apocalypse (because of his versatility), spiral and colossus (for defensive purposes) 😂
Sooper miss my Kobe Elite Victory A’s colorway 👌🏼🔥🔥🔥 was comfy bt got em a hlf size small 2nd hand VNDS for $100 can’t beat that price🙏🏼 just hope they re release and the Mardi Gras were fire 🫡🙏🏼👌🏼🔥🔥🔥
I still have my pair of Kobe 9 EM Philippines and as much as I'd like to hoop in them, the sole is separating so all I can do is just look at them from time to time. Here's hoping I can cop a pair of these
the first time i saw this i was like 😮 and i remember the original nike kobe 9 elite high that i buyed my sister's waste $200 on a shoe u cant even hoop outside im kinda new to the sneaker world then i love the over all built of the kobe 9 is just the durability of the oustole is that thing that i dont like i should have known and buy the adidas rose 4 back then brings back memories its kinda lazy thing by nike they keep the same thing as the original kobe 9 elite this would be an instant hit if nike would make the outsole playable for outdoor hooper's and what if just like nightwing said nike react with full link zoom drop in 😮 or nike react +zoom in the heel drop in reminds me of the nike kobe 11 set up come on nike 😅
These are dope, but Jike doesn’t change much or use your suggestions cuz they sell out anyway. No motivation to improve. X Men Pick up game…Wolverine, Noghtcrawler, Jean , and Magneto😉
Give me the original 5 please - Cyclops, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Beast, Iceman, and Angel. If they could launch such an iconic series, they are good enough for me to keep the court at the local gym.
The colossus - jean grey - wolverine - Nightcrawler team would be pretty goated. Realtically half those players would break the game or hurt each other if they used their powers though.
It's ridiculous how these shoes don't come with zoom. That should be the standard as a base in all their shoes. Number one reason I only hoop in Nikes.
Nike needs you as an advisor or something.. It honestly feels like our expectations were through the roof for Protro's after the 1. I feel like every thing after that was just a Retro. That wouldn't be bad if they never introduced the Performance Retro concept...
Nike really needs to hire Chris and Jodi... A while ago they had a discussion about the Kobe 8 protro felt it was released or anything was leaked any it... Make the shoe look like the original but get rid of the drop-in part of it and make it a regular sneaker. Nike can only do so much by tweaking the traction and using a react drop in. I love me some Zoom. It may be a technology that's 30 years old but Nike has yet to find anything to improve the way zoom did to regular air soles. Like these would have been great to have zoom in the heel or have bottom loaded full length zoom or Zoom stroble. EDIT: sorry i was ahead of myself, Chris mentions. The 9 being released as a regular show instead of with a drop in
Standing outside of Nike DC with zero crowd control while “homeless” folks bought most pairs, followed by the same 7 people buying the rest made this shoe a nightmare to purchase.
Kicks look good. I prefer tru flyknit to the coated version but again...shoe looks good. Regarding Xmen questions. Im going to elect to use a proxy to play for me: Colossus -5, Warpath - 4, Quicksilver at the 1 or 2 (he was an x-man at one time so I am counting him 😁), Jean or Quintine Quir at 3 (telekinesis assisted threes and jumpers) and im blanking her but Nightcrawler for point. Villans / anti heroes: Apocolypse at the 5, Omega Red at 4, Sabertooth playing 3, Spiral at 1, and Black Tom Cassidy at the 2 Thanks for vid!
Disappointed with just Full-length React Midsole, guess I’ll keep playing with the Player 1 Plus with the Explosive Midsole or getting shoes with drop-in like Wade 808 3/4 or Puma Stewie 3
Tbh a lot of these issues would probably be fixed with the prortos if regular people could get the shoes or they sat on shelves like back in the day. As long as they are an easy cash cow for nike they're not going to do more than the bare minimum. The fact that the pouron is going into the Jordan 1s makes it my feelings aren't hurt that it's not going into a shoe I will probably never get
