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Bronny James Scores 39 Points in Unreleased Nike Kobe Sneakers

Bronny James wore unreleased Nike Kobe sneakers during his breakout NBA G League game.

Pat Benson

Bronny James wore the all-black Nike Kobe 5 Protro "Year of the Mamba" colorway on Monday night.
Bronny James wore the all-black Nike Kobe 5 Protro "Year of the Mamba" colorway on Monday night. / Russell Lansford-Imagn Images
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On Monday night, Bronny James removed all doubt that he is a professional-caliber basketball player. James scored a career-high 39 points in the South Bay Lakers' win over the Santa Cruz Warriors.

It was a G League game, but the rosters are made of NBA players who can compete at the highest level in the sport.

Best of all, James's breakout game came in an unreleased pair of Kobe Bryant's retro Nike sneakers.

For a while, it appeared that James would eventually carry the torch for the Nike LeBron signature line. While that still might be the case, the rookie likes to mix Nike Kobe sneakers into his rotation.

During last night's game, Bronny wore the Nike Kobe 5 Protro in the all-black "Year of the Mamba" colorway. It is the same colorway that Vanessa Bryant teased online back in February.

So far, there has been an Eggplant and University Red version of the Nike Kobe 5 Protro "Year of the Mamba," but the black style has not yet been released. There is currently no release information for the all-black kicks.

Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant debuted his fifth signature sneaker in 2009 and wore the model throughout the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA Championship repeat.

It took 10 years, but the Nike Kobe 5 eventually made a comeback in 2019 as part of the updated "Protro" line.

The newer version of the shoe features minor performance technology upgrades, but it is hard to improve upon one of the most beloved basketball shoes of all time.

James continues to keep NBA fans and sneakerheads guessing with his strong performances and even stronger footwear rotation. The 20-year-old appears poised to be in the league and sneaker industry for a long time.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Kicks On Sports Illustrated. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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