Vanessa Bryant Gifts Rare Nike Kobe Sneakers to Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers received player-exclusive Nike Kobe 6 sneakers.

The Nike Kobe 6 in a player-exclusive 'Dodgers' colorway. / @Dodgers

Today marks eight years since Kobe Bryant's final NBA game. The Los Angeles Lakers legend stamped an exclamation mark on his unmatched career by scoring 60 points in front of the home crowd. Since then, April 13 has been known as Mamba Day.

While many of Kobe's loyal fans spent the morning (unsuccessfully) trying to purchase limited-edition sneakers from his signature Nike line, others have been greeted with a nice surprise.

Vanessa Bryant has gifted the Nike Kobe 6 Protro in a player-exclusive colorway to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers' social media team was quick to share glamorous photos of the sneakers inside of Dodger Stadium.

The Nike Kobe 6 Protro 'Dodgers' colorway features a blue snakeskin-inspired upper with white detailing around the midsole and heel. Just like the Dodgers uniforms, red accents appear on the heel with Bryant's jersey numbers and signature. The cherry on top is the red stitching around the tongues, resembling a baseball.

Mamba Forever.

Thank you for the gift, Vanessa Bryant! Can’t wait to celebrate the anniversary of Kobe’s historic last game in style. #MambaDay pic.twitter.com/nvinwH0Tni

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 13, 2024

The question on every fan's mind is: will these sneakers be released to the public? At this time, there is no indication they are anything more than a player-exclusive model. The only other time we have seen the Nike Kobe 6 'Dodgers' was when Natalia Bryant wore the sneakers during a game last season at Dodger Stadium.

Even if these sneakers were released to the public, it is hard to imagine they would be released in a quantity that would meet demand. Look at what happened with the three Nike Kobe sneakers released earlier today. Nevertheless, that cannot stop Lakers and Dodgers fans from admiring the ultra-rare kicks and dreaming of one day getting their hands on a pair.

It is also worth mentioning that the Dodgers have several players on their roster that are not sponsored by Nike and are contractually prohibited from wearing the sneakers in public. So, I would like to be first in line to ask players like Clayton Kershaw and Chris Taylor for their pair of Nike Kobe 6s (it was worth a shot).

The Dodgers host the San Diego Padres tonight at 9:10 p.m. EST. All eyes will be on the feet of players in the dugout to see if they are rocking what could be the best Nike Kobe 6 colorway of all time. Stay locked into FanNation Kicks for all your footwear news from the sports world and beyond.

Further Reading: Skechers signs 3 MLB players to new footwear deals to start the season.