Nike has tapped Kobe Bryant’s eldest daughter, Natalia Bryant, to star in the new TV spot for the Kobe 3 Protro.
The latest release brings back the sneaker Bryant wore during his 2007-2008 NBA MVP season. He wore the Kobe 3 through the Los Angeles Lakers’ run to the NBA Finals, which came up short in a bitter defeat to the Boston Celtics.
Scheduled to drop on August 23 on SNKRS, the shoe has been heavily anticipated in the sports and sneaker world.
Along with mesh being added to the upper, the Kobe 3 halo protro honors Natalia by incorporating diamond shapes that also were added to the outsole. Natalia’s middle name is Diamanté, which is diamond in Italian, Spanish and French.
Following her Nike commercial with New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson, the model took to Instagram to show off her pair and how she styled them. Captioning the post “The Kobe 3 Protro. Launching in SNKRS 8.23 @nikebasketball.”
Natalia recently graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California with a degree in film. She marked the occasion with an Instagram post shared on Friday, May 16.
“25’❤️🎓,” Natalia wrote alongside a portrait of herself wearing a white dress with a red and gold stole that read “cum laude” and included the Greek letters of her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Mom Vanessa Bryant also celebrated the milestone moment with social media posts of her own.
“We’re so proud of you @nataliabryant ! ❤️🎓🎉#USC ✌️#GRAD,” Vanessa, 43, wrote, sharing more photos on Instagram in one post. “4 ever 🫶🏽❤️👑🐍 @nataliabryant ❤️🎉 #USCGRAD #CumLaude,” she added in another.