With Caitlin Clark missing the better part of the 2025 WNBA season, women’s hoops just didn’t quite feel the same this year. CC only managed to appear in just 13 games due to a bevy on injuries that eventually sidelined her for good.
However, Clark appears to be back in near-full form as she joins Team USA Women’s Basketball for December training camp. She headlines a young yet powerful roster of rising stars including Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Juju Watkins and more, carrying the torch for the stars and stripes as the most dominant team in international play.
During a shoot-around at Duke University, Clark posted up wearing a pair of never-before-seen Nike Kobe 5 Protro shoes in a patriotic red, white, and blue color-blocking with what appears to be a gradient effect on the overlay. It’s not unlike the Kobe 5 “USA” that dropped in the Summer of 2010, but hopefully Kobe Brand, the burgeoning business within Nike Basketball, will look to release these Player Exclusives sometime in 2026.
Kobe footwear still continues to be a hot draw; in addition to the monthly Air Force 1 drops, the Kobe 6 Protro program continues to succeed thanks to partnerships with top athletes like Clark and Jalen Brunson.
