1 colorway of the Nike Kobe 9 EM Low on SoleBook.
The Nike Kobe 9, released in early 2014, marked a radical shift in basketball shoe design, ditching the low-cut, minimalist approach Kobe Bryant had championed in favor of a high-top silhouette with a knitted Flyknit-based upper. The switch reportedly stemmed from Bryant's Achilles injury and his interest in ballet footwear and lightweight support. Not long after the high-top's debut, Nike introduced the Kobe 9 EM Low, stripping the design back down to the low-cut cut fans expected from the Black Mamba's signature line. "EM" stood for Engineered Mesh, a textile construction that replaced Flyknit with a more affordable, mesh-based upper offering similar breathability and structure at a lower retail price point. The Low variant gave sneakerheads and hoopers alike a more familiar profile while retaining the shoe's distinctive Kobe DNA: an asymmetrical lacing system, a low-to-the-ground Lunarlon cushioning setup, and a strap for lockdown. It became a canvas for some of the line's most memorable colorways, including collaborations and "What The" iterations. Regarded today as one of the more accessible entries in the Kobe catalog, the EM Low remains a favorite among collectors revisiting Bryant's performance-driven design era.