Nike Zoom Kobe 1 Protro “Work Blue/Summit White” IM0541-400

The Nike Kobe 1 Protro is officially back on the menu. One of the faces of the early Protro movement, Bryant’s debut silhouette with the Swoosh has largely remained dormant since the release of the “81 Points” makeup. Fittingly, the Nike Kobe 1 “81 Points” is already reported to be one of the looks that’ll bring the shoe back to market, but now word is trickling out regarding a potential partner: the Nike Kobe 1 “Work Blue.”

As with any leaks of this nature, only the color codes are entirely set in stone, this time a tri-tone blend of “Work Blue/Summit White/Metallic Gold.” Speculation on narrative elements is usually a fool’s errand at this stage, but anything baby blue in the Kobe canon immediately sets our sights on Minneapolis, especially relevant given Beaverton has already explored the OG Lakers on this model. Zooming out, this second colorway serves as tacit confirmation that the Kobe 1 will be back in the fold for 2026, continuing in an expansion of the Protro series that’s branched out from core models like the Kobe 4 and Kobe 6 into more unexpected retros like the Kobe 9 and upcoming Kobe 3.

The Nike Kobe 1 Protro “Work Blue” is reportedly set for a Spring 2026 introduction, placing it somewhere between January and March. Get a (very) preliminary sense of the colors at work via our imagery at the top and a Sneaker Files mock-up below.

Written by

Matt Varga, Junior Editor

Matt Varga is an Editor at SneakerNews. Initially earning a degree in Video Arts and Technology, he got his start in video editing and writing in the music world — primarily on hip-hop and electronic. A long-standing interest in sneakers led him to switching over to footwear. An avid collector, his favorite sneaker of all time comes down to either the Air Jordan 1 “Black Toe” and Air Jordan 5 “Laney,” his first ever pick-ups. When he’s not writing, you can find Matt cooking, traveling, attending concerts and when weather permits, on the handball court.