To promote its new Los Angeles Dodgers-inspired Kobe Collection, Nike provided some of the brand’s sponsored players on the team with an assortment of merchandise as a gift.
A video shared on the Dodgers’ social media featured the likes of Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki and Will Smith reacting to receiving items from Nike, including the Kobe 5 Protro.
The Kobe 5 Protro and Air Force 1 Protros for Los Angeles. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4zSFlH88lb
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 12, 2026
The Kobe Air Force 1 Protro was the first pair of shoes seen in the video. The design features a wolf grey and rush blue colorway and pairs with red baseball-inspired stitching, decorative laces and Bryant’s original No. 8 on the heel.
The Protro model comes with improved, intentional tech featuring an ultra-plush drop-in ReactX foam midsole, paired with Nike Air cushioning for supreme comfort.
The Kobe 5 Protro was next up. The design of this second pair of shoes took inspiration from Bryant’s love for Los Angeles and the city’s shared passion for winning.
It features a bold hyper royal colorway and pairs it with wolf grey accents and red baseball-inspired stitching as well. In addition to the standard blue, the shoe comes with additional red and baseball laces.
The players took a liking to both shoes and expressed their appreciation for the gifts.
The Kobe 5 Protro seemed to be the consensus favorite among the group from the footage shared. Tucker and Snell were the most enthusiastic with their praise.
“I’m going to have to rock these,” Tucker said. Snell, who has an extensive sneaker collection, said Nike “Killed these.”
This is not the first time Nike and the Bryant family have gifted shoes to the Dodgers. Mookie Betts, Gavin Lux, Bobby Miller and others received pairs of the Nike Kobe 6 Dodgers PE back in 2024, courtesy of Vanessa Bryant.
Details for Nike’s Kobe Dodgers collection
The Dodgers Kobe 5 Protro and Air Force 1 both released on Aug. 15, though there was early access granted to those who were in attendance at the Mamba League Invitational from Aug. 8-9.
Along with the two pairs of shoes, the Dodgers Kobe collection included multiple t-shirts, batting gloves, arm sleeve and limited edition baseball glove.
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