New York Knicks superstar guard Jalen Brunson is a featured guest in a new ad for the late Kobe Bryant’s upcoming signature shoe — the Kobe 3 Proto.
The two-time All-Star appears in the commercial alongside Natalia Bryant, the oldest daughter of the late Los Angeles Lakers icon.
The commercial begins with the owner of a New York-based jewelry store referring to Brunson as “Captain Clutch” and welcoming him to his shop. Brunson then asks for “something special,” which leads to the jeweler recommending “bracelets, big body, loud wrists, and a lot of bling,” but none of it piques the Knicks star’s attention.
Just then, Brunson notices Natalia Bryant working on an all-white Kobe 3 Proto and asks the jeweler, “What’s she working on?” However, Natalia remains standoffish and doesn’t let Brunson touch her prized possession.
“You reach, I teach,” she tells Brunson, before asking him a series of questions to see whether he’s worthy of wearing the sneaker. Ultimately, she declares that he “might be ready, but I’m still not convinced” before buzzing him out of the store.
Inspiration Behind New Shoe
According to Nike, the new Kobe Bryant kicks are inspired by the shoes he wore during his 2007-08 MVP-winning season.
“The Kobe 3 Protro is designed to meet the needs of the modern game while paying tribute to Kobe Bryant’s legacy and extending his legendary Mamba Mentality to the next generation of athletes,” reads a press release detailing the shoe.
“The reintroduction marks Nike’s most extensive Kobe Protro effort to date, elevating the original court shoe Kobe wore during his 2007–08 MVP season with technology that pays homage to a classic ahead of its time and makes it ready for the future.”
According to ESPN’s Anthony Gharib, Brunson, a Nike-sponsored athlete, was chose to appear in the ad due to his affinity for Kobe sneakers.
“He rocked a “Hyper Turquoise” Kobe 6 player edition sneaker during the 2025 NBA playoffs inspired by the Statue of Liberty. During his career-high 61-point outing in March 2024, he wore the Kobe 6 Protro Grinch kicks,” wrote Gharib.
The Kobe 3 Protro will be released on Saturday, August 23, which would have been Bryant’s 47th birthday. The Lakers legend died in 2020 in a helicopter crash.
Will Knicks Star Win MVP Award?
Perhaps rocking Bryant’s MVP-season sneakers will allow Brunson to put together an MVP-worthy season of his own in the 2025-26 campaign.
NBA.com’s Shaun Powell recently predicted that Brunson could end the seven-year spell of Americans not winning the Michael Jordan Trophy.
“Has anyone’s profile soared more in the last three years than Brunson’s?” Powell wrote of Brunson’s MVP chances. “A second-round pick in 2018 and backup point guard in Dallas, Brunson is now an elite point guard and runs New York City, the league’s largest market. He’ll be hard to ignore.”
Brunson, the reigning Clutch Player of the Year, finished finishing fifth in MVP voting last season, after averaging 26.0 points and 7.3 assists.
“He was second, by a hair, to Cade Cunningham in scoring among point guards last season but was a more efficient shooter,” Powell added. “His strongest case is his ability to win in the clutch, although, with a new coach in Mike Brown, Brunson may be asked to spread the wealth in those situations. That makes the Knicks even more dangerous and unpredictable late in fourth quarters.”
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