Hit the SNKRS app in North America to find the kicks. The Nike Zoom KOBE IV Protro “Draft Day” will launch on the 15th of February. This is not a pure retro, its part of Kobe’s Protro line, which seeks to elevate past Kobe signature drops with current tech while maintaining classic form. With the NBA All-Star Weekend set to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina this month, Nike is reviving the the Nike Zoom KOBE IV “Draft Day”. Nike Basketball used the Charlotte color scheme as the driving force behind a series of color drops in the Kobe signature line under the Draft Day banner.

The Nike Zoom KOBE IV Protro releases February 15 on SNKRS North America, and at select global retailers.When Kobe Bryant entered the NBA he was picked by the Charlotte Hornets and was then quickly dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nike Zoom KOBE IV Protro takes a ’96 draft day colorway, inspired by a Charlotte color scheme, and brings in some updated performance features, including an adjusted vamp shape, a sleeker heel shape, and wider outsole traction. LunarLite foam in the forefoot, a Zoom Air unit in the heel and a full-length Phylon midsole provided responsive cushioning. Its Flywire construction that used thin, strong nylon fibers to support the upper, had debuted a year prior in the Nike Hyperdunk (the silhouette Bryant wore in Beijing in 2008).

The tech in the original shoe was futuristic for its time. In today’s diversely talented league, low-top shoes are now worn by every type of player, from shifty point guards to rangy forwards to powerful bigs. It wasn’t the first low-cut Nike hoops shoe (the 1972 Bruin takes that distinction), but its impact on the game was tremendous, as it linked the low-top movement with a single player. Originally released in 2009, the Nike Zoom KOBE IV proved that a light, low-cut profile could still give optimum support at the game’s highest level.

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