Nike To Re-Release The Nike Kobe 1 “81 Points” In 2026
Written by djfrosty on May 12, 2025
Years after the Nike Kobe sneaker line was a scarce product out on these streets, Nike has been giving Kobe fans all the kicks that they can handle (lots of them are sitting on shelves). Now, they’ll be re-releasing the sneaker that started it all at the Swoosh brand. We’re sure fans can’t hardly wait.
According to Sneaker News, Nike will be retroing the classic Nike Kobe 1 “81 Points” in 2026 in honor of the 20th anniversary of Kobe’s classic game against the Toronto Raptors in which he dropped a historic 81 points on Jalen Rose (sorry, man, but he did). Featuring the classic white, purple and gold Lakers colorway, the first Kobe silhouette that Nike released following his departure from adidas, the Kobe 1 “81 Points” will most definitely become a must-have for hardcore Kobe fans who witnessed his greatness during his historic 20-year NBA career.
Per Sneaker News:
The Nike Kobe 1 “81 Points” was released as a limited PE in 2007 and then again as a Protro in 2019. Importantly, Kobe’s 81-point game preceded the wide release of the Nike Kobe 1 by about a month. No images of the 2026 Protro have surfaced yet, but the sneaker is expected to feature the same “White/Black/Court Purple” blocking alongside modern performance upgrades.
The only question is whether the sneakers will be a limited release (as Nike is once again keeping production numbers low of their classic silhouettes in 2025) or if it’ll be a big rollout so they can cash in on the hype. Either way, we expect these to be a hard cop.
Check out pics of the original Kobe 1 “81 Points” below, and let us know if you’ll be checking for these when they drop in 2026.