Vanessa Bryant teases the all-black Nike Kobe 5 "Year of the Mamba"

The Nike Kobe 5 Protro appears in a triple black colorway for the "Year of the Mamba."

A detailed look at the Nike Kobe 5 Protro "Year of the Mamba - Triple Black" colorway. / Vanessa Bryant

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Technically, 2025 is the Year of the Snake. However, according to Nike, it is the "Year of the Mamba." The brand kicked off its year-long celebration of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant last month with a message wishing everyone a "hard year."

The campaign's message is for athletes and fans to embrace the grind and dedication to hard work that Bryant was notorious for during his playing days.

In addition to the rallying cry, Nike has also launched multiple basketball shoes and matching apparel options featuring the snake theme. Even better, Vanessa Bryant teased another unreleased pair of sneakers on her official Instagram account.

The Nike Kobe 5 Protro "Year of the Mamba" colorway. / Vanessa Bryant

While Vanessa is known for breaking news about the Nike Kobe line on her Instagram account, she usually does it with a flurry of pictures. That was not the case with her most recent post. Vanessa shared one picture of the Nike Kobe 5 Protro in a black and gold colorway.

Her caption read, "Triple Black- Year Of The Mamba - (snake emoji) YOTM." The Nike Kobe 5 Protro is an updated version of the model Kobe debuted on the court during the 2008-09 NBA season. It was re-released in 2019.

The "Year of the Mamba" colorway sports a glossy black upper with a gold Kobe logo on the tongues. It is hard to make out any other details on the muted colorway. Unfortunately, this style is expected to be a player-exclusive colorway that will not be released to the public.

The Nike Kobe 5 "Year of the Mamba" in two different styles. / Nike

However, the silver lining is that it has finally become easier to purchase Nike Kobe basketball shoes and apparel. Online shoppers can check out the Kobe collection on the Nike website.

Earlier this month, Nike celebrated the Lunar New Year by dropping the Nike Kobe 5 Protro in two "Year of the Mamba" colorways - Eggplant and University Red. The purple version was released in the United States, while the red style dropped in China.

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