Nike Drops “Girl Dad” Kobe Sneaker

With another summer filled with awesome sneaker releases, fans of the Lakers, and the late great Kobe Bryant couldn’t wait to get their hands on the new Nike Kobe 4 “Girl Dad” shoe. It came just in time for Father’s Day. The sneaker was available at select spots and of course on Nike’s SNKRS app retailing for $190.

It’s great that Nike and Kobe Bryant’s estate have been releasing classic silhouettes and colorways and have been doing so since coming to terms back in August of 2023. Since then, every Kobe release has been a complete sell out and this recent release is no different. Luckily, I was able to get my hands on a pair of these kicks while shopping for them in Tampa’s Hyde Park, at Social Status.

These sneakers were a must have for me because I am a girl dad myself, and I think Kobe’s approach as a father to all girls is motivational to me and all fathers to princesses. Not to mention it is the first time I’ve owned a pair of the Kobe 4. I could ‘t wait to wear these kicks for Father’s Day but, before I let the shoes touch concrete, I had to show the unboxing.

 Right now, these Kobe 4’s are sold out but, you’re able to find them on other reselling apps and consignment shops online or even right here in Tampa. If you’re a girl dad like me these are worth getting.

It still seems surreal that 2 years later, we are even saying  "Kobe Bryant" and "death" in the same sentence. It's hard to grasp that it's now been two full years since a helicopter crash killed Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others.

The crash outside of Los Angeles was determined to be because of pilot error, primarily. According to the Associated Press, the National Transportation Safety Board said pilot Ara Zobayan "made a series of poor decisions that led him to fly blindly into a wall of clouds where he became so disoriented he thought he was climbing when the craft was plunging toward a Southern California hillside."

Kobe Bryant was a larger-than-life basketball player, spending his career entirely with the Los Angeles Lakers (he was technically drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, but was traded on draft day to L.A.). And the Hollywood lifestyle played well for Bryant, as he became a 5-time NBA champion, an 18-time NBA All-Star, among a host of other career accomplishments placing him among the greatest players to ever play the game. Who among us hasn't yelled "KOBE!" when throwing a crumpled piece of paper in a trash can?

Off the court, Bryant was instantly recognizable in commercials, TV shows, music and movies. He even won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball. He was not without controversy, as a 2003 sexual assault allegation hurt his reputation. The case was later dropped, and Bryant issued an apology to the victim.

Kobe Bryant was barely into his off-the-court career at the time of his death, but by all accounts was poised to be just as successful as he had been on the court. He had several business ventures already running, with many more in the works.

As we remember Kobe Bryant two years after his untimely death, we look at several of the tributes that continue to pour in for "Mamba."