The next iteration of the Kobe Bryant line under Nike is set to drop to kick off the month of May, and it is in honor of Gigi Bryant, the late daughter of Kobe. The 'Mambacita' Kobe 9 will release on May 1st and will continue the legacy of great hooping sneakers in the lineage of Bryant.
Nike celebrates Gigi Bryant’s 19th birthday by dropping the “Mambacita” Kobe 9 on May 1 🐍 pic.twitter.com/24uZisPnT2
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) April 29, 2025
Featuring touching tributes to Bryant on her 19th birthday, the shoe is going to be remembered forever, much like the legacy of her father and the legacy she was sure to have in her own career as well. The sneakers feature a marble base sole and a white fading into black upper. A gold hang tag is included in the shape of a heart medallion featuring an angel 2 with wings inside of a heart. As black, white and gold are the main colors involved in the pallette of the shoe, the achilles are joined by golden "Gigi" and a 2 inside of a heart engravements along the back side all layered on top of a fantastic looking marble finish on the heels with the Kobe X Nike logo shaped into the center.
An all-around clean, sleek, hooping sneaker that many should get their hands on in honor of a great career that was most certainly going to be had by Gigi Bryant. The shoe drops on what would be Bryant's 19th birthday, May 1st, and is a great tribute. The shoe all around adds nothing but positivity and is a great addition to the 'Mambacita' portion of the line that her father held with Nike.