Jalen Brunson Will Get His First Nike Kobe Sneaker Release Later This Year

While the New York Knicks face elimination Thursday night by the Indiana Pacers, no one would place blame on Jalen Brunson for his team falling short in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks star is averaging 33 points in the series, including a 36-point and 11-assist performance in the Game 2 overtime loss.

During that game, Brunson debuted his player-exclusive Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Statue of Liberty.” And not long after, the sneaker has been confirmed for release during the holiday 2025 season.

Brunson has worn several player-exclusive Nike Kobe sneakers this season, and the most NYC-centric of them all is the first to be locked down for a public launch. Execution for the Statue of Liberty homage is kept straightforward, as the majority of the sneaker is rendered in a blue-ish green to match the landmark’s oxidized copper. The heel stabilizer, Swoosh and tongue branding are then rendered in unvarnished copper, as the Statue of Liberty would have looked for the first 20 to 30 years after it was delivered as a gift from France.

Like many players in the NBA and WNBA, including Caitlin Clark, Brunson favors the Kobe 6 Protro more than any other sneaker. He’s worn the shoe in more than 50 percent of his career games tracked by Kix Stats, with the Kobe 5 Protro coming in at a distant second with 19 percent and the Kobe 4 Protro at third with 8.8 percent.

Earlier in this year’s playoffs, Brunson debuted the Nike Kobe 5 Protro “WTR,” a player-exclusive intended as a tribute to his father. In April, upon returning from a 15-game injury, he also wore the Kobe 5 Protro in a “The Joke’s On You” colorway invoking the iconic Batman villain. And a Nike Kobe 4 Protro “The Nattys” unveiled in February commemorates the two national championships Brunson won with Villanova in college with fellow Knicks Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges as college teammates.

The Jalen Brunson x Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Statue of Liberty” PE will release during the holiday 2025 season, likely through the Snkrs app and select third-party retailers. Pricing is set at $190.