Nike Kobe 4

Kobe 4

Kobe Bryant’s prolific partnership with Nike began with three high-tops. These fit in with the common belief that low-top basketball trainers were ineffective and even dangerous as they lacked the ankle support necessary for the intense nature of the game. Kobe thought otherwise, and, inspired by his time growing up in the football-loving country of Italy, he challenged designer Eric Avar to come up with the lightest and lowest shoe possible for his fourth signature model: the game-changing Nike Kobe 4.

Kobe’s bold request pushed Avar to draw on Nike’s most cutting-edge technologies. He gave his low-top basketball trainer a lightweight, durable upper with tough Flywire cables, filled the midsole with a responsive mix of Lunarlon and Phylon foams and added a springy Zoom Air unit below the heel. The key performance feature on the Kobe 4 was its specially designed heel counter, which provided the necessary lockdown for the low-top design to function and even flourish. Without the restriction of a high collar, Kobe could move with greater speed and agility, thus allowing him to outmanoeuvre his opponents.

Kobe first showcased his groundbreaking signature shoe at the end of 2008, putting in a dynamic performance that proved the viability of the low-top concept. Following a cheeky marketing campaign in which Kobe himself playfully poked fun at those who had doubted the design, the Kobe 4 was popular both on and off the court. Its success was boosted even further by Kobe’s incredible ‘08-’09 season, which ended up being one of his very best. During it, he broke the Madison Square Garden scoring record, became All-Star MVP, won the NBA Championship for the fourth time and received his first Finals MVP award.

The high-performance capabilities of the Kobe 4 caused a huge shift in the industry. No longer did players fear broken ankles, and before long the low-top basketball trainer was the most popular style in the NBA. In 2019, the Protro model was released, its upgraded materials and more streamlined shape making it optimised for the modern game, and Eric Avar’s famous shoe was once again worn across the league. Today, the legacy of the Nike Kobe 4 lives on both in the sneaker enthusiasts who choose it for its stylish look, and in the host of low-top basketball trainers that were inspired by its revolutionary design.