Nike Kobe 8 Black Mamba Collection "Fade to Black"

Colorway: Dark Raisin/Dark Raisin · Style code: 869456-551 · Release date: December 31, 2016 · Original retail (2016): $200 · Availability: Sold out at retail

More colorways: Nike Kobe 8 'Christmas' (555035-030) · Nike Kobe 8 GS 'Christmas' (555586-002) · Nike Kobe 8 'Sulfur Electric' (555035-001) · Nike Kobe 8 SS 'Christmas' (639522-001) · Nike Kobe 8 Elite+ 'Away' (603269-100) · Nike Kobe 8 GS 'Lakers Away' (FN0266-002) · Nike Kobe 8 PS 'Lakers Away' (FN0267-002) · Nike Kobe 8 Protro 'Lakers Away' (HF9550-001) · Nike Kobe 8 'Philippines Pack - Gym Red' (613959-002) · Nike Kobe 8 'Easter' (555035-302) · Nike Kobe 8 Protro TB Promo 'Wolf Grey Black' (HM6469-001) · Nike Kobe 8 Protro 'Mambacita' (FV6325-100)

About the Nike Kobe 8 Black Mamba Collection "Fade to Black"

Bryant played his last NBA game on April 13, 2016, against the Utah Jazz. He was 37, the season was already over in every way that mattered, and he scored 60 points in a 101-96 win - the oldest player in league history to put up 60 in a game. Twenty seasons, five championships, eighteen All-Star selections, and the only player for whom a single franchise has retired two numbers.

Nike's response was to look backward rather than forward. The Fade to Black run took earlier models from the signature line and re-cut them in one purple, laces to outsole, with the Lakers palette reduced to a single tone.

The eighth shoe takes the treatment well. Its upper is engineered mesh with very little structure imposed on it, so a single color reads as one continuous surface broken only by texture. Thin synthetic overlays trace the Swoosh and the forefoot, the exaggerated heel clip carries Kobe branding, and the tongue and insole are marked as well. The outsole is purple too, its traction pattern easier to read than anything above it.

Written with AI from brand specs; facts checked against our catalog data on Sep 18, 2026.