These are the best Kobe sneakers of 2020, listed in date order rather than ranked. Nike’s Kobe Protro line paused after January and restarted with Mamba Week on 23 August 2020. According to Hypebeast, Mamba Week brought five Kobe 5 Protro pairs; Nice Kicks then listed one more pair for 15 October and two for 24 November, and the Kobe 6 Protro Grinch closed the year on 24 December at $180.
- 3 January 2020: the Chaos Protro returned, according to Nice Kicks.
- 23 to 29 August 2020: Mamba Week ran with five Kobe 5 Protro pairs, according to Hypebeast.
- 24 December 2020: the Grinch returned at $180, according to Hypebeast.
What happened to the Kobe line in 2020?
Nike’s Kobe line returned in January 2020, paused within weeks, and came back in August as a tribute. According to Nice Kicks, the Chaos Protro was expected on 3 January 2020. Kobe Bryant died on 26 January 2020, according to Wikipedia’s account of the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. We marked the loss in our tribute post at the time.
After Bryant’s death, Nice Kicks wrote that speculation had risen about whether Nike would still release a Big Stage Parade pair set for 7 February 2020. In a report of 4 August 2020, the same site said his death and COVID-19 production delays had halted other colorways such as the Big Stage and the Bruce Lee. On 17 November 2020, Nice Kicks listed the Alternate Bruce Lee and the OG colorway for 24 November.
On 25 March 2020, Hypebeast reported that a Lakers pair had appeared on Sneakersnstuff’s site with a drop date of 1 April and a $180 price, and that a Nike representative had stated it would not release.
What is a Kobe Protro?
A Protro is a retro release rebuilt with current performance parts, which Nice Kicks describes as part retro and part performance. According to Hypebeast’s history of the model, the Kobe 5 was revealed on 6 December 2009, with Zoom Air cushioning in the heel and forefoot and heat-bonded overlays, and the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in a seven-game Finals in 2010 to give Bryant his fifth ring.
The model returned in stages. Nice Kicks traced its last appearance before 2020 to the 2014 Prelude Pack, and Hypebeast wrote on 26 June 2020 that the Big Stage carried twice as much Zoom Air as the original. Sizing is a separate question, and our Kobe size guide covers how the line fits.
What was Mamba Week 2020?
Mamba Week was Nike’s week of tributes to Bryant, and it began on 23 August 2020. According to Hypebeast’s report of 13 August 2020, which named Nike News as its source, the week had three parts: a $1 million donation from the Nike Foundation to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, continued support for the Mamba League with the Boys & Girls Clubs in Los Angeles, and new Kobe Protro releases.
The footwear was five Kobe 5 Protro pairs, three in the regular line and two with UNDEFEATED, plus a snakeskin-print Lakers jersey. The same site’s release preview, which called it the first-ever Mamba Week, quoted Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker:
Every game, I write on my shoes, ‘Be Legendary,’ which is what Kobe signed on my shoes back in 2016.
When did the 2020 Kobe Protros in this list release, and at what price?
The table gives the release date and retail price of the 2020 Kobe Protro pairs this page found in dated reports, in order of date. A price marked not confirmed was not given for that release in reports opened. The Lakers pair appears twice because it was listed twice: Hypebeast reported on 25 March 2020 that a Nike representative said the 1 April pair would not release, and Nice Kicks listed the same style code, CD4991-500, for 24 August.
| Release date | Kobe model | Pair | Retail price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 January 2020 | 5 | Chaos | Not confirmed | Nice Kicks |
| Listed for 1 April 2020 | 5 | Lakers (CD4991-500) | $180 listed | Hypebeast, 25 March 2020: a Nike representative said it would not release |
| 23 August 2020 | 5 | Big Stage | Not confirmed (Hypebeast’s 26 June 2020 report gave $180 if the pair released, with retailers listing a tentative 1 July date) | Hypebeast |
| Listed for 24 August 2020 | 5 | Lakers (CD4991-500) | Not confirmed (Nice Kicks listed it as TBD) | Nice Kicks, 8 August 2020 |
| 24 August 2020 | 5 | 5x Champ | $180 | Hypebeast |
| 27 August 2020 | 5 | UNDEFEATED What If pack, two pairs | $390 for the pack | Nice Kicks |
| 29 August 2020 | 5 | Girls EYBL | $180 | Nice Kicks |
| Listed for 15 October 2020 | 5 | 5 Rings (CD4991-400) | $180 | Nice Kicks, 7 October 2020: the same report first gave 30 September for an overseas release |
| Listed for 24 November 2020 | 5 | Alternate Bruce Lee (CD4991-101) | $180 | Nice Kicks, 17 November 2020 |
| Listed for 24 November 2020 | 5 | Bruce Lee (the OG colorway in that report) | Not given in that report | Nice Kicks, 17 November 2020 |
| 24 December 2020 | 6 | Grinch | $180 | Hypebeast |
As of 6 October 2026, Nike’s own launch pages for these pairs could not be opened, so every date and price comes from Hypebeast and Nice Kicks reports published in 2020. Resale prices change daily and could not be confirmed from a dated source, so this page does not rank by resale value. Market prices move and are shown for reference, not as a promise.
Which 2020 pairs honored Bryant’s championships?
The Big Stage honored Bryant’s fifth championship, won with the Lakers in 2010, and the 5x Champ nodded to his five championship rings. According to Hypebeast’s 13 August 2020 preview, the Big Stage used black, white and gold with laser detailing for the 2009-10 season, and the 5x Champion used purple, gold and black as a nod to the jackets Jeff Hamilton made for Bryant after his second and third titles.
The names differ by outlet. Nice Kicks listed a 24 August 2020 pair as the Lakers colorway in Court Purple, Black and University Gold, while Hypebeast listed a 24 August pair as the 5x Champ at $180 on SNKRS and at Foot Locker, describing it as a nod to Bryant’s five NBA Championship rings. We could not confirm that the two names describe one shoe. Our March 2020 post on the Kobe 5 Protro Lakers covers the colorway.
What did the UNDEFEATED What If pack refer to?
The UNDEFEATED What If pack was a two-pair set that imagined a different draft night for Bryant. According to Hypebeast, he was picked 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA Draft and traded to the Lakers right away, so one pair used colors of the 12 teams that passed on him and the other used small teal accents for the Hornets.
Hypebeast’s 24 August 2020 roundup listed the pack for 27 August through UNDEFEATED. According to Nice Kicks’ release post, the pack, style code DB5551-900, cost $390, and a chance to buy it came through a raffle that asked draft-day and Kobe trivia. Neither report gave a confirmed price for a single pair, so this page does not give one.
Which EYBL Kobe pairs appeared in 2020?
Two different EYBL Kobe 5 pairs appeared in 2020, and only one of them was listed for sale. The first was a tie-dye pair that Nike gave to athletes after the summer 2020 Elite Youth Basketball League season was canceled. According to Hypebeast on 18 June 2020, it had a tie-dye upper, a black and orange sole and a blue collar, tongue and lining, and the capsule would not release anywhere.
The second was the Girls EYBL, which Hypebeast described on 13 August 2020 as a scaly green, gold and white pair inspired by Medusa from Greek mythology. Nice Kicks listed it for 29 August 2020 at $180. The two share a league name and a model, which is why each gets its own entry here.
What was the Mamba Rage?
Hypebeast’s 26 June 2020 report called the Mamba Rage a budget-friendly takedown shoe and said it was all Nike had released in the line since Bryant’s death.
How did the 2020 Grinch compare with the 2010 original?
The Kobe 6 Protro Grinch was a December 2020 return of a pair first released in 2010. According to Hypebeast’s December roundup, it released on 24 December 2020 on Nike SNKRS at $180 with a scaly green build and Air Zoom Turbo cushioning, and Bryant debuted the original in a Christmas Day 2010 game against LeBron James and the Miami Heat.
Hypebeast’s piece of 24 December 2020 said the original came out in 2010 as part of the Nike Basketball Christmas Day Collection and that the return was its first in ten years. It described the upper as covered in polyurethane islands that mimic the texture of snakeskin. For a later take on the same idea, see our Kobe 6 Reverse Grinch Protro article.
