A tease to an upcoming Kobe retro line: Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro

   When we think of retro in world of sneakers, the first that comes to mind to every sneakerhead is Michael Jordan's Air Jordan retro line. A timeless and undoubtedly iconic line of shoes worn by arguably the greatest player to play the game of basketball, with each shoe tinkered with various colour combinations and even with the shoes' technology, the name "Air Jordan" is known of at every corner in America, and has grown familiar all across the globe. But, then came Kobe Bryant's announcement:

    On February 5th, the Black Mamba tweeted a hint to a shoe, that was revealed only two days after.

    The revealed shoe was dubbed the "Protro 1's" and is a retro of his first shoe with Nike, the Nike Zoom Kobe 1's. This isn't the first time Nike has released a retro of Kobe's basketball shoe. In 2013, the "Prelude Pack" came with eight models of Kobe's basketball sneakers, and the "Fade to Black" pack that was released in celebration of his retirement. Alongside Kobe, the 'King' has also had his share of his shoes being retro'd, with his first shoe being retro'd with a couple O.G colourways released.

                                                                             (Images via sneakernews)

    Retro's are so popular because of what they represent, to not only modern sneakerheads, but those who have grown up watching these players on the television and mimicking their styles on and off the court. For some, they may be worn and beat down as they run up and down the basketball court in the shoes or for many, it may be kept on ice, never to be worn and kept as a collector's item.

   Unlike most retro'd shoes, these shoes were made with a different purpose as Bryant describes the "Protro" term as an evolution and improving things that were. The concept of Protro is strictly on performance, and thus he added more innovations to the shoe. The aesthetic of the shoe remains the same, but the weight of the shoe was modified to become a lot more light with the heavy parts of the shoe removed. Additionally, the cushioning of the shoe was improved by reducing the foam and the carbon fiber shank to create an 'engineered feel'.

   This is definitely a new twist to the concept of retro's, but it is clear to why the performance aspect of the shoe was so stressed on as Kobe Bryant is continuously involved in innovation and pushing a product to reach it's potential. It's safe to say that along these years, more and more of Kobe's basketball sneakers will be produced eventually create his retro line alongside Michael Jordan.

   This push on performance may push away sneakerhead's that are solely on the casual side of wearing sneakers, but rest assured that won't be the case. The brand "UNDEFEATED" which holds a high name in both the streetwear and sneaker culture has collaborated with Nike, with their own colourways of the "Protro" 1's. The future of Nike Basketball seems bright, and the world is stoked to see what's next.

                                                                            (Images via UNDEFEATED)