NBA sneaker king P.J. Tucker has confirmed this week that his player-exclusive colorway of the Nike Kobe 5 Protro is releasing this month.
Since the news was announced in August by Tucker on social media, there has been limited information about the arrival of his Kobe 5 Protro PEs other than learning that at one of two iterations designed by the Houston Rockets starting forward are slated to hit shelves on Sept. 25.
"It's my true dream," Tucker told Complex. "I've never wanted my own shoe, but to be able to have my own version on my favorite basketball shoes of all time—it's unthinkable. Mamba Mentality Forever."
It also wasn't that long ago that Tucker was a sneaker free agent in the NBA. His previous endorsement deal with Nike had expired in October 2019, which garnered interest from competing brands including Puma, Adidas, and New Balance. The period ended up being shortlived as Tucker re-signed with the Swoosh a month later in what was reported as a multiyear, six-figure sneaker deal, which is the largest endorsement of his career thus far.
The news for Tucker's Kobe 5 Protro PE release follows last month's Nike "Mamba Week" event, a seven-day initiative that celebrated the life of the late NBA icon Kobe Bryant through limited-edition products and community activations, in which the brand drew criticism for not producing enough units making obtaining the items difficult for fans. Only time will tell if there will be enough pairs of Tucker's Kobe 5 Protro PEs.
