Nike Kobe 6 Protro

The iconic lime green Grinch colourway was one of the original designs of the Nike Kobe 6 when it was first released during the 2010. Despite its name, the shoe’s primary colour was inspired by the green mamba snake and was supposed to be a reference to Kobe Bryant’s legendary Mamba Mentality. However, as it came out during the festive season, the Grinch moniker stuck and was reused when the upgraded Protro edition was launched in the same colourway a decade later. This precipitated the creation of a whole new collection of Kobe 6 Protro designs in the years that followed, one of which was the Reverse Grinch. An equally vivid version of the striking original, it flipped the Grinch colour palette by making the outer mostly bright red while using an eye-catching shade of green to produce boldly contrasting accents across the sneaker.

This technologically advanced Nike Kobe 6 Protro is a powerful reimagining of one of the silhouette’s original release colourways. As well as being upgraded with modern comfort-giving features like the latest Zoom Air and Cushlon foam cushioning, it has a striking colour palette that is the reverse of the famous 2010 Grinch model. As such, the upper, which is mostly formed from a flexible micro-mesh coated in protective snake-like scales, comes in an eye-catching Bright Crimson hue. The same radiant tone covers the wide outsole, which is both stable and grippy, and the strong TPU heel counter, which provides the model’s legendary lockdown. Electric Green accents appear across the outer, from the laces to the Sheath logos, and the insoles, where this vivid colour spells out the famous phrase that Kobe himself uttered when speaking to designer Eric Avar: “I want a shoe that molds to my foot”. Black swooshes balance out the colour scheme as they reach down the flanks, and Kobe’s signature has been lightly printed onto the heel in a stylish finish to this captivating basketball sneaker.