Vanessa Bryant Teases the Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low EM "California Mountain Snake"

Vanessa Bryant is still the undisputed plug for the Kobe line. Sticking to her usual formula of breaking the internet before Nike even clears its throat, she just previewed a fresh Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low EM colorway dubbed the "California Mountain Snake." HotNewHipHop reports that the sneaker uses an engineered mesh upper instead of the usual Flyknit, leaning heavy into Kobe's legendary Black Mamba persona with a design inspired by the classic assassin moniker from Quentin Tarantino's *Kill Bill*. The aesthetic on these is lethal. You get a mix of red and grey tones contrasted by a black snakeskin texture slicing across the toe box and midfoot panels. White accents pop on the Swoosh and laces, while a small red "X" sits near the lace collar, all resting on a bright red outsole. There is no official word yet on whether these are dropping to the public or staying locked in the vault as a player exclusive.