Nike “Art of a Champion”: Kobe Bryant’s Protro I “Final Seconds”
Aka the sneaker that beginning of the Mamba Mentality
Sports
April 12th, 2018
April 12th, 2018
Over the next three months, Nike will be releasing sneakers from their “Art of a Champion” Collection honoring basketball royalty. The ‘champions’ pack consists of 16 different sneakers, correlating to the number of playoffs wins necessary for a team to achieve a championship title. Each sneaker is a symbol of a special moment for the NBA and members of the Nike family. Among many great Finals moments honored are Scottie Pippen becoming only the 12th player to achieve a triple-double in a Finals game, Michael Jordan hitting a game-winner with 10 seconds left in Game 6, Kawhi Leonard’s unexpected rise to MVP, LeBron James scoring 25 straight points in Game 5. The first release from the collection honors Kobe Bryant. The Kobe 1 Protro ‘Final Seconds’ is a commemoration of Bryant’s performance in Game 4 of the 2006 Western Conference Finals.
The Game
In this historic fight to the death, the Lakers took on the Phoenix Suns. It was a rivalry for the ages between Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant. But Kobe managed to prove his leadership of the Lakers squad by basically carrying the team on his back, stacking points and rebounds. Late in the fourth quarter, Smush Parker stole the ball from Nash's hands and passed to Kobe. Bryant went for a clutch layup against Boris Diaw, the ball went in forcing the game to overtime. When there just six seconds on the clock in the first OT time, he saved the ball off the tip and he drove right, with two defenders relentlessly in his face and managed to nail a surprising game-winning shot right as the buzzer sounded. Staples Centre went wild, it was an epic end to an epic rivalry to say the least.
The Lakers came out victorious in Game 4, but the playoff series ended with a devastating loss in Game 7. Making the Suns only the eighth NBA team in history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit. Bryant played with that infamous killer instinct, also known as the ‘Mamba Mentality,’ marking Game 4 as one of the most infamous performances of his career.
The Sneakers
All the while, fans took note of the sneakers the ‘Black Mamba’ was wearing. The Kobe 1s he wore in that game are the iconic symbols of the fearless domination Kobe poured on Phoenix. Featuring a white upper with a golden yellow swoosh, purple laces and trim and a full-length Zoom Air cushioned sole. It perfectly replicates the shoe he wore in Game 4. Kobe’s number “8” is stitched on the heels atop a full-lenght Zoom Air cushioned sole completes the theme. While this momentous game did not lead to a title, it symbolizes a moment of glory for Bryant. The moment Kobe Bryant attained complete ownership of what became his Lakers team. The Kobe 1 Protro ‘Final Seconds’ is set for release on the SNKRS app and at select Nike retailers on Saturday, April 14th.
On nss sports, we will deepen each release in the next three months. We also suggest you come to the presentation event of "The Art of Champion" on Saturday 14th April Piazza Gae Aulenti, Milan at the Airness store. Five of the sixteen shoe models will be presented and we will talk about the NBA and sneaker will be the youtuber Luis Sal, the Sky Sports commentator Alessandro Mamoli and the Rolling Stones journalist Matteo Zampollo; followed by Santamanu dj-set and Coma Cose concert. The store will also feature the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, the trophy awarded by the National Basketball Association to the winning team.
