Jalen Brunson debuts the Nike Kobe 4 in a Villanova Wildcats colorway

The Nike Kobe 4 "The Nattys" pays tribute to the Villanova Wildcats.

Feb 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) brings the ball up court against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Jalen Brunson has elevated the New York Knicks to the third spot in the Eastern Conference Standings. Brunson leading the Knicks into the NBA Playoffs is reminiscent of his collegiate career with the Villanova Wildcats.

This Spring will mark seven years since Brunson won his second NCAA national championship with Villanova, and Nike has already crafted a player-exclusive pair of sneakers to celebrate the standout point guard.

During last night's win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Bruson debuted the Nike Kobe 4 Protro in the "The Nattys" colorway. Below is Brunson's Instagram post showing high-quality pictures of the unreleased sneakers.

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A post shared by Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1)

The Nike Kobe 4 Protro "The Nattys" colorway features a dark navy blue upper contrasted by gold Swoosh and Kobe logos. Meanwhile, light blue and white detailing provide the finishing touches.

Currently, there is no release information for Brunson's sneakers. Plus, he referred to them as a "PE" or player-exclusive colorway in his Instagram post. So, this style might be reserved for the Wildcats legend.

The Nike Kobe 4 Protro is an updated version of Kobe Bryant's fourth signature basketball shoe. Bryant originally debuted the model in 2007, and the upgraded model dropped in 2019.

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Brunson has worn Nike Kobe sneakers since high school. In fact, Bryant gifted a pair of his Christmas-inspired kicks to Brunson in 2014. It is easy to understand why Brunson is so loyal to Bryant and Nike.

Over the past year, Nike has celebrated Brunson with a billboard in New York City and had him appear in different marketing campaigns. Knicks fans can expect to see more of Brunson in Nike advertisements down the stretch of the NBA regular season.

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