5 colorways of the Nike Kobe 9 EM Low Protro TB on SoleBook.
The Nike Kobe 9 stands as one of the more divisive entries in Kobe Bryant's signature line, marking the moment Nike pushed the series away from the low-cut speed profile Kobe had long championed. Released in 2014, the Kobe 9 arrived as a high-top, engineered on Kobe's own request after his Achilles injury, wrapped in Flyknit and built with a Lunarlon midsole for a more locked-down, supportive ride. The EM version stripped down the knit upper for a lighter, more ventilated build, while the Low variant came later, chopping the ankle collar to satisfy players and sneakerheads who missed the low profile Kobe had made his signature since the Kobe 4. The Protro treatment, introduced retroactively years after Kobe's death, retrofitted his classic silhouettes with modern cushioning and traction updates, and the Kobe 9 EM Low Protro became part of that reissue wave. The "TB" designation—Team Bank—marks these pairs as team/bulk-order stock, typically sold to schools and clubs rather than general retail, making them a lower-key, functional counterpart to the flashier retail colorways collectors chase.