June 26, 2026 is not an arbitrary release date. Thirty years ago today, Kobe Bryant sat inside Charlotte wearing a Hornets jersey, picked 13th overall in the NBA Draft, and waited 48 hours to find out he'd been traded to Los Angeles for Vlade Divac. Nike picked this date deliberately. They built a 13-colorway pack around it. Every decision in the Nike Kobe 4 Protro Draft Day pack traces back to that single night in 1996.
The shoe: the Kobe 4 Protro at $190, thirteen colorways launching simultaneously on June 26 — style codes IM0559-100 through IM0559-112. Each represents one of the NBA franchises that held a pick in the 1996 Draft class. Toronto Raptors. Vancouver Grizzlies. Milwaukee Bucks. Boston Celtics. Golden State Warriors. And at the two ends of the numbering, the picks that defined an era: Philadelphia 76ers (IM0559-100, first overall — Allen Iverson) and Charlotte Hornets (IM0559-112, thirteenth — Kobe Bryant). That's the real debate in this pack.
The Case for Charlotte Hornets (IM0559-112) — History Over Everything
The Charlotte Hornets colorway is the most loaded pick in the pack. Kobe's draft story is one of the strangest in NBA history — a teenager from Lower Merion who wanted the Lakers so badly that the deal was reportedly structured before his name was called, resulting in Charlotte taking him at 13 knowing he'd be moved. The trade itself, Kobe for Vlade Divac, is either the best or the worst decision in Hornets franchise history depending on your loyalties. Charlotte never won anything. Los Angeles won five championships.
The IM0559-112 colorway pulls from the original '90s Charlotte Hornets palette: teal, purple, and white. Those colours are legitimately excellent on a basketball shoe — the Hornets uniforms from that era are universally regarded as some of the best in NBA history, and they map cleanly onto the Kobe 4 Protro silhouette. Wearing this shoe is wearing the starting point of the greatest career in Laker history. For a collector with a Kobe-focused rotation, this is the one that will always have the story attached to it. No explanation needed for anyone who knows basketball.
The Case for 76ers (IM0559-100) — The Rival's Perspective
Allen Iverson went first overall to Philadelphia that same night. The AI/Kobe rivalry that defined the early 2000s NBA — two guards, radically different styles, both chasing championships, measuring themselves against each other through every December matchup and playoff run — is why the 76ers colorway belongs in this pack. You can't tell the full story of Kobe's career without the player he measured himself against most visibly. The 2001 NBA Finals, where Iverson's 76ers took Kobe's Lakers to overtime in Game 1 before losing the next four, is the single most dramatic collision of those two careers.
Practically, IM0559-100 might also be the better-looking shoe. 76ers colours — red, white, and navy — are clean, versatile, and pair with significantly more outfits than teal and purple. The red midsole accent on the 76ers pair is sharp. If you're buying one pair to wear rather than to store, the 76ers version gives you more rotations. It carries slightly less narrative weight than Charlotte — but the story it does carry is one of the great rivalries in basketball history, which is not nothing.
India: ₹15,750, Both Legends, and Which City Gets What
At $190 — approximately ₹15,750 — the Draft Day pack is the most accessible major Kobe release of 2026. Previous Kobe Protro retroes have launched at higher price points or far more limited quantities. This is a general release across 13 colorways, which means Nike India should carry real stock through the SNKRS India app and nike.com/in from June 26. According to Sneaker Bar Detroit's release coverage, all 13 style codes are confirmed for that date. The full 1996 Draft class history is documented at Basketball Reference's 1996 NBA Draft page.
Kobe's following in India is generational. His death in January 2020 produced a response that went beyond sports fan mourning — tributes at gyms, basketball courts, and public spaces across the country. AI's crossover-heavy, heart-on-sleeve style also resonates deeply in Indian basketball communities. Mumbai, which trends toward statement colourways and Bollywood-crossover aesthetics, will gravitate toward the 76ers red. Delhi's more technical basketball community will want the Charlotte pair. Bangalore's collector crowd will try to get both. Sizing on the Kobe 4 Protro: runs slightly narrow. Indian buyers with wider feet should consider going half up. Browse the full Nike collection at SNKRS CART for current authenticated Kobe inventory.
Our Call: Charlotte First, 76ers If You're Actually Wearing Them
The Charlotte Hornets pair (IM0559-112) is the right buy if you care about what the shoe represents. Kobe's draft trajectory — 13th pick to Charlotte, traded to LA, five championships, one of the five greatest careers in NBA history — is the entire spine of this pack's narrative. The shoe exists because of that pick. The teal-and-purple colourway is distinctive enough to stand out in a collection and historically correct enough to tell the story without requiring explanation.
The 76ers pair is the better shoe to actually wear. Cleaner colourway, more outfit-flexible, and anchored to the greatest rivalry of Kobe's career. Either way, ₹15,750 for a proper Kobe 4 Protro is the right price. This is not a shelf piece — it's a performance-inspired basketball shoe with a real story behind it. Wear it, play in it, let the sole yellow. Kobe would have wanted that. Read about how Nike has been handling the Kobe legacy this year in our piece on the Kobe 8 Mambacurial's football-culture story.
