In the NBA Draft, greatness doesn’t always come from where you expect. When Nikola Jokic was drafted by the Denver Nuggets – 41st overall in the second round – a Taco Bell commercial was playing on the official broadcast. Giannis Antetokounmpo went 15th overall in 2013; Anthony Bennett, selected first that year, lasted only four years in the league. For every LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama and Hakeem Olajuwon, there’s a player who emerges deep in the draft to change everything. Kobe Bryant was one of those players — and this week, Nike is dropping a full set of Kobe 4 Protros to pay tribute to his Draft Night trip.
Bryant famously went 13th overall in the 1996 NBA draft, being drafted by the Charlotte Hornets at the request of the Los Angeles Lakers, who immediately sent him to their future franchise player in exchange for Vlad Divac. It’s not like ’96 was a weak draft year and every single franchise that passed up on Kobe spent decades berating themselves. This was the year the Philadelphia 76ers were drafted Allen Iverson First overall, Stephon Marbury and Ray Allen are fourth and fifth. Hell, two picks after Bryant, the Phoenix Suns drafted Steve Nash. Still, there are a handful of teams – the Grizzlies, Celtics and Clippers come to mind – one has to imagine that wish they had paid a little attention to the undersized high school phenom who became a generational player.
Courtesy of Nike
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Courtesy of Nike
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1996 draft, Nike is launching 13 different colorways of the Kobe 4 Protros, one of the most beloved models of the Kobe line. Hunt? You don’t get to choose which edition you get – they’re being packaged in blind bags like a pack of baseball cards or Labus. The base set, which includes 12 shoes, features stark white uppers and soles, with the only splashes of color coming via the outline of Bryant’s sheath logo on the Nike Swoosh, sockliner, and tongue. Each colorway represents one of the teams that released Bryant in ’96: purple and red for the Toronto Raptors, green and purple for the Milwaukee Bucks, etc. If it feels like a nap, don’t nap just yet. The upper of the sneaker features abrasion resistant material. Spend some time on the court with these, and the white will fade to reveal the team colors.
