Nike is bringing back the Kobe 9 EM Low Philippines in Protro form on November 18. First released in 2014, the Laser Crimson and Obsidian colorway draws its details from Filipino basketball courts and everyday life. The patterned upper references traditional banig mats, chrome accents recall jeepneys, and a graphic beneath the translucent outsole recognizes players who take to the court in flip-flops. Twelve years later, those references return with updated cushioning and traction.
SNEAKERS
The original Kobe 9 EM Premium Philippines reached Nike’s U.S. online store on May 23, 2014, for $180. Buyers had to follow a link posted through the Nikestore Twitter account to purchase it. The launch instructions limited orders to one pair per customer. Its blue-and-red graphics took inspiration from painted barangay courts, with patterns that referenced traditional handwoven mats. The flip-flop graphic was already part of that original design, making it one of the details that connects the Protro to the 2014 pair.
For the new release, geometric graphics cover the engineered mesh upper in a mix of red, blue, black, and yellow. The banig reference comes through in the arrangement of the pattern, while numbers layered over it borrow the hand-painted style seen in barangay gyms. Chrome metallic accents introduce another familiar feature of the streets surrounding those courts, the jeepney. The design brings these references together across the shoe, from the printed mesh to the clear rubber underfoot.
The outsole contains the tsinelas graphic, depicting the flip-flop that gives this colorway one of its most specific basketball references. It acknowledges the players who find a way to join a game in the footwear they have. Bryant’s connection to those communities extended beyond product releases. During his June 2016 Mamba Mentality Tour in Manila, he visited Ususan Covered Court in Taguig and led a Kobe Academy session for 24 young players selected from a larger training camp.
The Protro updates keep the shoe focused on playing basketball. Its breathable engineered mesh upper limits weight, and a drop-in React foam midsole provides responsive cushioning close to the court. A carbon fiber plate in the outsole supplies lateral stability without adding much weight. Multidirectional tread works with upgraded traction blades on the inner side of the shoe to support changes of direction. These changes update the performance construction beneath the familiar graphics, carrying the original colorway into a new generation of Kobe footwear.
The Kobe 9 EM Low Protro Philippines releases through Nike SNKRS on November 18 for $200.
Name: Nike Kobe 9 EM Low Protro Philippines
Colorway: Laser Crimson/Silver/Obsidian
SKU: IO6262-600
Price: 200 USD
Release Date: November 18
Available at: Nike and select retailers
