The Nike Kobe 6 Protro "Reverse Grinch" May Release This Holiday Season

Once thought to be an Anthony Davis PE, the flipped take on the most iconic Nike Kobe ever could drop at the end of the year.

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The late, great Kobe Bryant has more than a few memorable silhouettes in his extensive signature line with Nike, but none are more famous than the holiday-themed Kobe 6 “Grinch.” Back in 2021, Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers sent Kobe fans into a tizzy by revealing a “Reverse Grinch” colorway of the Kobe 6 Protro — that inversed the OG “Grinch” combo with a bright red upper adorned with slime-green laces and branded hits plus a black Swoosh — on an Instagram Live broadcast. Then, in 2022, Davis stoked the fires of hype even higher by rocking the kicks during the Lake Show’s Christmas Day matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. Now, in 2023, rumors are beginning to swirl that the “Reverse Grinch,” originally believed to be a PE for Davis, may release this holiday season.

Per news from Sneakerfiles and zSneakerheadz, the “Reverse Grinch” may indeed touch down around Christmas. Nike Basketball has been taking it slow and steady with their Kobe releases, as the only pair that’s released since Bryant’s estate re-upped their partnership with the Swoosh last March was the Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita Sweet 16,” which touched down last April. Last August, it was speculated that the famed Kobe 6 “Prelude” would return in Protro form, and December held rumors of the Kobe 8’s own Protro return in fall 2023, but no new news on either model has surfaced since then.

A lot can change between now and the holiday season, of course, but keep it locked here for all your updates on the Nike Kobe Protro 6 “Reverse Grinch” and other 2023 Kobe drops.

For more footwear news be sure to check out the latest installment of Sole Mates, a weekly Hypebeast series in which notable individuals in street culture discuss the connection they share with their favorite sneakers.

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