Kobe 8: $245 at Nike, about $400 from a boutique

Past that, you buy a story, and the shoe gets no better. On that day the same Halo was $400 at one shop and $600 at another.

A collector will say a 2012 pair is worth every dollar, and someone else will swear the older foam felt better. They have a point, but I want a pair to play in.

Quick facts

• Nike price: $245 in Canada for the Kobe VIII Protro, and US$200 in the US for the Shanghai Fireworks.
• Launch: Shanghai Fireworks in Laser Orange and Safety Orange, 11 November at 3 p.m.
• Kids at Nike: $145 for older kids in Shanghai Fireworks, and $110 for younger kids in Mambacurial.
• On within: 50 pairs of the Kobe 8 at 3 boutiques, men's US 8 to 18 and kids' 2Y to 7Y, $150 to $1,200, read 8 November 2026.
• History: Nike showed the shoe in November 2012 and brought it back as a Protro in August 2023.
• Money: a plain $ is Canadian and US$ is US dollars, so the $400 Halo is US$283.

For playing in

Buy a Protro. Nike showed the Kobe VIII in November 2012 and brought it back as a Protro in August 2023. Kobe coined the word for performance retro, and Nike gave it a React midsole with a new herringbone traction pattern.

Start at Nike's $245. If you miss, the Lakers Away is $350, and the Court Purple is $400 in size 18 and $450 in a 9. A pre owned What The from 2025 is $300 in size 9, and pre owned Lakers Home pairs run $150 to $250.

A pre owned Lakers Home in size 14 is rated 8/10 without an original box at $150. Nike's page gives no sizing advice, and its single 1 star review called this version uncomfortable. Measure your foot, then check Nike sizes and do Nikes run small before buying.

For the colour

Nike says the Halo colourway was made for Kobe's birthday. You can buy the Halo at $400 from Utopia (US$283), the 2023 Halo at $425 from parlor23 or the Halo at $600 from Outlined. The shoe is the same and the price is not.

Those $400 pairs are the last in US men's 8, 8.5, 9 and 11, while the $425 pair is one US men's 8. At $400 you pay $155 more than Nike's $245 for another colourway. The What The is $500 at Utopia (US$354), while the What The at $650 at Outlined costs $150 more.

The Year of the Horse (2026) is $400 in US men's 12 and 13, and its listing says it celebrates the 2026 Lunar New Year. For Shanghai Fireworks, Nike is the place, at $245 in Canada and US$200 in the US. (Older kids can wear the $145 Canadian pair.)

Same Halo, new at all three shops, and a $200 gap from lowest to highest.

For the shelf

The originals are for owning. Nike calls the 2012 shoe Kobe's lightest and lowest signature shoe at the time, and the first Nike Basketball shoe with engineered mesh on the upper. Under it sat a full length Lunarlon midsole.

The 2012 Christmas pair is $850 at parlor23 (US$614), and the 2013 Year of the Snake Red EXT is $1,200 there. That second listing says these are 100% brand new with a tiny factory mark on the left shoe. Buy these to keep in the box, or pick a Protro to play.

On 11 November, open Nike's page at 3 p.m. If you miss, check your size on the Kobe 8 shelf. Before you pay a boutique, check the size, the condition and whether an original box is included.

All three shops ship to the United States. In Canada, one ships free, one ships free over $300 and the third ships from $10. Start with the retail price, then ask what that extra money buys.

Common questions

What is the Kobe 8 original release date?

Nike showed the Kobe VIII in November 2012, and its page gives the month and no day. The Protro arrived in August 2023, and the Shanghai Fireworks first launched in 2013.

Are Kobe 8 good basketball shoes?

Yes, if you mean the Protro, which Nike retooled with a React midsole and a new herringbone traction pattern. The single review on Nike's Canada page gave it 1 star for comfort. Measure your foot before paying $245.

Does Kobe still make shoes?

Nike still sells Kobe shoes, and the Kobe VIII Protro is $245 at Nike in Canada. Nike's US page lists the Shanghai Fireworks at US$200.

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