Nike Kobe 5 Protro Eggplant: 2024 Preview and 2025 Update
Archive note: First published . This page originally discussed a rumored Kobe 5 Protro Eggplant colorway using early reference imagery. Nike subsequently announced the Kobe 5 Protro Year of the Mamba in January 2025.
Editorial context updated . The original publication date and images are retained.


Nike Kobe 5 Protro Year of the Mamba — Eggplant
Nike’s January 7, 2025 newsroom announcement identifies Eggplant as the launch colorway and schedules global availability for January 9, 2025. Nike’s SNKRS listing names the model Kobe V Protro Year of the Mamba and gives the style reference IB4481-500. Sources: Nike: Year of the Mamba announcement, January 7, 2025 and Nike: Kobe V Protro Year of the Mamba, Eggplant.
Original preview rendering
The following image was labeled a rendering for reference in the May 2024 article. It is kept as an early concept reference, not proof of the final retail design or a Beetsneakers QC photograph.

Original Electric Purple comparison
The original article labeled this next image “OG Electric Purple (2010)” as a comparison. That is its archived caption, not a new verification of the photographed pair’s provenance.

Nike’s descriptions concern the official retail shoe. They do not establish the cushioning, material composition or basketball performance of a replica.
Related Beetsneakers information
Kobe replica sneaker collection.
Beetsneakers lists replica footwear. Historical brand announcements and reference images do not establish the materials, performance or authenticity of a replica. For the actual pair prepared for an order, use our pre-shipment QC photo guide.