**damn, took the L today. Sorry but review on the Protro is not coming until a restock*
4/13* damn, took another L today. I’ll try again tomorrow*
4/14*you guessed it, another L and I was on SNKERS at 8:58 and clicked buy right away. Smh
If you didn’t know, I love the Kobe I and it still resides in my rotation even after 13 years.
If you didn’t read the Nike marketing press release here you go:
The key takeaway:
“We really wanted to make sure that the shoe looked exactly like the [Zoom Kobe] 1, but was built through the lens of performance athletes, specifically professional athletes on the NBA court,” says Grosso.
Another push was to improve the shoe’s cushioning. Nike Zoom Air has come a long way in the last 13 years and the team was able to use those advances to add a better system for performance athletes, specifically in the form of a Zoom bag setup with a rocker and ride that is smoother than the original. They were also able to improve the ride by eliminating foam and decreasing the size of the carbon fiber shank to create a more engineered feel.
So basically Nike is retroing the Kobe I and keeping the looks the same, while “improving” the cushioning for a smoother ride by making lower to the ground and taking away some of the carbon fiber shank which is 3/4 length (I got a peek at the shank when a pair of mine needed some extra glue).
What’s this mean performance wise
Not a whole lot of the USA colorway out there.
Probably very little. The rocker for the Zoom bag sounds interesting and I’m curious to see what it all means. Bleacher Report states it was full length Zoom but I’ll have to see for myself if that’s really the case (sorry BR I don’t trust your sneaker credentials). Cushioning is predominately preference but if it’s full length Zoom I may have a new old number one shoe again if it’s implemented right. Weight wise, I don’t see them cutting out more than an ounce if at all. Just because they say it doesn’t mean it’s true . Curry 3Zero anyone ?
I find it interesting that Nike did not “upgrade” the upper since Kobe is about improving performance. Oh that’s right it doesn’t matter . Thanks for validating my point Nike. Flyknit is cheaper to make, thus the push of its “performance” benefits.
Regardless of what’s done or not, I’ll be trying to cop these even if I have way too many.
This was only what was close by didn’t go into storage to dig out the rest.
Jordan Why Not Zero.1
I got a hold of these thanks to an early release at a certain store that starts with an F which coincidentally gets the same grade for customer service. I’ve been playing in them for the past week and here is a quick rundown. I’ll have the full review done before this colorway releases.
Traction has been very good but I wouldn’t put in the top tier. It’s pretty grippy overall and doesn’t require much wiping thanks to the tiny blade pattern. Still very very good and consistent, let’s hope it gets a little better.
Cushioning has been disappointing so far. The Zoom is bottom loaded and I can feel it a little after a week but it isn’t anything close to the Aj XXXI, Zoom BB or even the AJ XII feel. It does play very quick and is responsive though. I’m hoping it breaks in soon but so far it’s very Phylony with a touch of Zoom. It rides very low the ground though in the forefoot which I like a lot.
Fit is true to size no issues here. Almost overly tight.
Support and Stability are its greatest strengths. Very flat wide outsole and low feeling make this shoe feel very stable. Add in the huge heel counter and you’re good to go.
Containment is also very good thanks to the raised midsole that goes from heel to toe.
So far it’s a very good shoe thus far and does everything well. Check back next week and my full review should be done.
schwollo.com 
I was gonna ask you on Instagram what you thought of the Kobe 1 marketing campaign, happy to see that you’re already on top of it! I’m just as skeptical about these “upgrades” as you are. But honestly if they’re gonna go this Protro route or whatever corny name Kobe is calling it, I wish they’d just skip to the kobe 4 and 8 and give us proper full length Zoom. $175 for the 1’s is hilarious by the way…
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Nothing really except the cushioning and shank plate . $175 is steep but they are selling Kobe’s pedigree and nostalgia which is really why retros are prices more. Funny thing is nobody bought these back then . Zoom generations are the same way going from $110 to $175 ..or is is $185 ? And nobody bought them back then . . 8’s are still available on eBay and after markets for ok prices. Updated 4 would be nice though
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Man, their marketing bullshit is always kinda funny. For a number of reasons. Look, I’m all for the idea of updating performance aspects while maintaining the aesthetics of classics so they perform at today’s standards… had wished years ago that at least some Jordan retros would do that. But now they’re taking the AZK1 that DOES perform at or above today’s standards—they’re still in your rotation and would still be in mine if I hadn’t worn ’em all the way out—and changing them up. Granted, it’s been a good ten or more years since I played in them, but I don’t recall having any complaints, just remember their being great in all aspects of performance. I remember the cushioning being really nice, so I’m amused that Grosso talks about improving on that. Don’t remember having any gripes about the smoothness of transition or ride. Don’t know what a “rocker” is, but it sounds unstable—haha! And “more engineered feel”? Honestly not sure what he’s trying to communicate there. Seems like the kinda vague language the designers often use when describing/hyping their newest kicks—something that is supposed to sound good but actually doesn’t really say anything substantial. I guess “engineered” could mean like form-fitting or functional or something, but it could feasibly carry negative connotations too, like not-natural or even over-engineered (kinda makes me think of your writing that the Jordan 32 feels “clunky and too shoeish”). But maybe homeboy just isn’t great with words, and maybe these updates will actually be improvements.
Oh yeah, I also scoffed at the part about Zoom having “come a long way in the last 13 years.” Especially in the context of your website, specifically the Where’s Zoom post. Yes, the unlocked Zoom in the XX8 was kinda bananas, but other than that and a few other exceptions here and there, it doesn’t seem all that improved, and, in many cases, it’s worse than its earlier implementations.
I don’t wanna be too negative… but it is fun to poke fun at Nike’s hype-mongering. I hope the shoes play great… and that people sleep on ’em (unlikely) and they go on sale for cheap.
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Hhaha I find every shoe company’s marketing funny. I especially liked the part Nike said the upgrades were validated with Derozans 21 points (he averages 24 ) new shoes do not equate to stats simple as that.
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Haha! Yeah. Next thing you know, they’re gonna be touting the on-court performance perks of the Air Max 90 and the Air Force 1 by pointing to big nights for Thabo Sefolosha and Rasheed Wallace, respectively. Laughable. Once I saw the direction that DeRozan paragraph was heading, I had to skip over it—too embarrassing to read the whole thing. Had to limit my comments above to just the snippet you quoted, otherwise I would’ve been on here all night poking fun at this joke of a marketing ploy. Pick any of the worst performance duds you’ve reviewed (Soldier X? HD16?), and some NBA player has probably had a banner night in them. Doesn’t mean they’re great shoes.
Oh, forgot to comment on the Why Not. Sounds pretty good except for lackluster Zoom feel. But, wait, didn’t dude say Zoom has come a long way in the last thirteen years? Oh. Right…
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Hahha zoom hasn’t changed at all except the unlocked Zoom which really was due to the protrusion not the plate. Hmm
Maybe that’s what the Kobe I Protro will have. It isn’t going to make anyone play better but it will make them more fun to play in .
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Word.
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I really liked the 1s back in the day, so I’m curious how this update actually performs. According to Sneakers (https://www.nike.com/launch/t/kobe-1-protro-varsity-maize), these are supposed to have a full length zoom bag. I’m not convinced full length zoom is better than separate forefoot and heel zoom bags. I almost always prefer a large forefoot and heel bag (XX8s being the best) than a 6mm or 8mm full length bag. I just don’t think pushing air the length of your footbed gives the most responsive cushioning – it sometimes feels mushy and lagging.
As for the Westbrook’s, I’m looking forward to your review. I hope the cushioning breaks and gets more responsive. Maybe I could drop in an extra heel unit to get double stacked in the heel. LOL. Any thoughts about how these would perform without the ankle straps? I hate straps and would seriously consider cutting them off if the shoe would perform just fine without out them.
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Cushioning is really all preference I just like the consistent feel and fluidity of full length (usually it’s done right).
The why nots don’t feel bad but they don’t feel anything like the BB or aj xxxi. 80/20 Phylon to zoom feel right now. The straps serve no real function so you could definitely cut them off. The lockdown comes from the internal collar and laces.
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Agreed. Full length zoom can be really nice. I just find separate bag when implemented right feels a touch better.
Thanks for the heads up on the Westbrooks. From watching Russ play it sure seems like the strap doesn’t do anything but flap around and get in the way. I will definitely cut mine off if I get a pair.
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Nike’s marketing did not sell me on these, but that Undefeated collab is on sight
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Yea they look pretty good
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welp, confirmed to only be available at the pop-up shop, took that L before I could even take an L
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I’m trying to remember why I didn’t cop these back then. They were easy to get. I got the white/grey pair for my pops.
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Nobody wanted Kobe’s back then haha
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Do you think the Kobe 1 Protro will be hard to snatch? I want that Black/Yellow CW and hopefully the color is OG like the one you have.
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I think it will be a general release not sure how the demand is amount non sneakerheads
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what sizes are yours?maybe you’ll sell me a pair! ahaha..
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Lol
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How’s the sizing on the Kobe’s? I wear a 10 but i heard the leather is thick and runs long and might need to go down half a size.
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Did you read my OG review which is in this post? Half size down for the same reasons you stated. I have a true to size 11 and it fits as well but the 10.5 works better on court
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