Nike Kobe 10 Elite 'Chester' Release Date, Pics and Retail Price

After a ton of anticipation, the Kobe 10 Elite "Chester" colorway will make its way to retail stores on July 22.

One of the most unique colorways of the Kobe 10 release, Nike splits the shoe nearly down the middle with an orange and yellow-orange color scheme while mixing in a black front and prominent swoosh. Nike officially describes the two colors as "Total Orange" and "Laser Orange," though the latter looks much closer to a yellow than an orange in light.

In typical Kobe fashion, the Chester has a deeper meaning than, I dunno, the name of the marshal's friend from Gunsmoke. The colorway is actually modeled after the Chester Clippers, who were the fierce rival of Lower Merion High School, the Philadelphia institution where Bryant first made his name. 

"

'Chester' Kobes http://t.co/2ZVKGjFKRO pic.twitter.com/MzsmHEGwQh

— SoleCollector.com (@SoleCollector) July 16, 2015"

"It was the orange-and-black jerseys of his high school rivals that lit a fire in Kobe like nothing else could," a Nike press release read. "The teams would meet in a semifinal matchup that’s still recalled by Philly historians. Kobe played with something to prove—racking up 31 second-half points in an overtime thriller and helping lead his squad to their first state title in over 50 years."

Perhaps the only thing surprising about this is that Jordan Brand did not think of this first. Where is the Jordan Bowie edition? How about the Leroy Smith retros? Maybe something involving poor Byron Russell?

There needs to be more shoes designed to send shade—or, as is the case here, to honor—at someone or something from a player's past. If there aren't a SuperSonics KDs at some point, I'm going to be upset.

Tangents aside, the Kobe 10s remain a massive success for Nike regardless of the colorway. Introduced in January, the campaign slogan going along with the release has been "sophisticated simplicity." The lows, which were controversial when they debuted, have now become a norm in the Kobe-Nike relationship. In fact, it's one of the things that has helped Kobe separate himself as a brand in the shoe game.

"

Another Look at the Nike Kobe 10 Elite Low ‘Chester’ http://t.co/pfxN2s4VOa pic.twitter.com/37TrtsNHe2

— SneakerFiles.com (@sneakerfiles) July 17, 2015"

“The Kobe signature line allows us to think bold with provocative concepts that spark conversation,” Eric Avar, Nike Creative Director and VP of Innovation, said in a statement. “Kobe’s 10th shoe is a superlight, responsive and purposeful look at high performance, high design and high style. The work is exciting and the collective teamwork around the project is contagious.”

This is the first of three major upcoming releases for the Kobe 10 design. August will see the release of the "Mambacurial" colorway, which has been a part of a number of previous releases. Sneaker News also pointed out an as-yet-unnamed release will feature a colorway of "Radiant Emerald and Total Orange sporting a speckled midsole," also arriving next month.

The summer months are typically a bit of a dormant period for major shoe releases—most huge colorways make their way to shelves in the fall or spring period or around the holidays—but the Kobes are shifting the focus. With Adidas' Yeezy Boost release also helping out sales earlier this summer, we may have to shift how we look at the summer calendar.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.