Nike Announces a Release Date for the Kobe 5 Protro "Bruce Lee" and "Bruce Lee Alternate"
Inspired by Kobe Bryant’s admiration of Bruce Lee and his Jeet Kune Do philosophy.
Nike has announced official release dates for the Kobe 5 Protro “Bruce Lee” and “Bruce Lee Alternate.” Kobe Bryant was effusive in his admiration for Bruce Lee and his Jeet Kun Do — “fighting without fighting” — philosophy, so in 2010 Nike Basketball drew directly from Lee’s famous Enter the Dragon outfit for the original Kobe 5 “Bruce Lee.” Now, 10 years later, the “Bruce Lee” is back in upgraded form and is accompanied by a special “Bruce Lee Alternate” colorway as well.
As mentioned above, the “Bruce Lee” draws directly from Lee’s jumpsuit in Enter the Dragon, mixing yellow and black tones on its upper. Touches of red appear on both the heel and forefoot, the latter of which features four red slash marks for a clever nod to the injuries Lee sustained during the course of the movie. On the other hand, the “Bruce Lee Alternate” uses a white and black color scheme with just a pop of yellow on the heel and red trim around the midfoot Swoosh. Red slashes remain on the forefoot, and both styles feature silver sheath logos on the tongues.
From a tech standpoint, each differentiates itself from the original Kobe 5 by using a modern foam compound in the midsole for a softer feel and Zoom Air units that are 50% larger for extra responsiveness. Apart from the obvious tribute to Kobe, these technological enhancements may explain why the Kobe 5 Proto was so popular in the NBA bubble, spotted on the feet of everyone from the Lakers’ Anthony Davis to the Miami Heat‘s Tyler Herro and Andre Iguodala.
The Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Bruce Lee” and “Bruce Lee Alternate” are both set to release via Nike SNKRS come November 24. The MSRP for each pair is set at $180 USD.
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