Nike Kobe 9 Protro ‘WNBA’

Nike continued its WNBA tribute line on the Kobe 9 Protro for May 2026, an orange colorway that honored the league for the second consecutive year while presenting the shade in a notably more subdued tone than the previous edition. Kobe Bryant’s deep connection to women’s basketball made the WNBA colorways on his shoes feel particularly meaningful.

The Kobe 9 Protro’s distinctive high-top knit upper and the model’s exceptional cushioning platform made it one of the most technically sophisticated shoes in the signature basketball lineup. The WNBA colorway added narrative significance to a silhouette that already carried plenty of weight.

The Nike Kobe 9 Protro WNBA retailed at $190 and released May 8, 2026 through Nike SNKRS ahead of the WNBA season opening.

Read next: The 2026 WNBA season record, 303 games and every player who logged a minute.

Written by

The Sneakers Team

The Sneakers Team is the editorial desk behind becausesneakers, founded and edited by Nick Engvall. Nick has spent more than two decades in the sneaker industry. He built the original Eastbay Blog, led the first dedicated sneaker team at Complex, ran the first UGC and seeding programs at Finish Line, was employee number nine at StockX, and served as Senior Director at Stadium Goods. He hosts the Sneaker History podcast, and his first book, Small Luxuries: Sneakers, arrives in October 2026 from Motorbooks. Release details on this site are checked against the brand's own product information before publication, and anything we cannot confirm is labelled rather than stated.

More from The Sneakers Team →