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For almost four years, loyal fans of the late-great Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant have had a tough time purchasing his signature sneakers at the retail price. While many of us are coming off yet another loss last week, there is no time to get down.

On Wednesday afternoon, the official Nike Basketball Instagram account posted a story which teased a shock drop of Bryant's sneakers. The first story read "12.21" and the second was a picture of Bryant's face from the 2012 Summer Olympics with the Mamba logo. Check out the screenshot below.

The not-so-subtle hint leads us to believe that Nike will drop some heat for the holidays. It could be more Nike Kobe 6 Protro 'Reverse Grinch' stock (unlikely) or it could be the first release of the all-black Nike Kobe 4 Protro 'Gift of the Mamba.' 

Either way, sneakerheads should be logged onto to their Nike SNKRS app on the morning of Thursday, December 21. Will there be enough stock for everyone? Recent history says no, although Vanessa Bryant has addressed the concerns of fans about increasing the number of sneakers produced. 

As someone who has yet to hit on a Nike Kobe sneaker release, I'm going after it the same way that Bryant dove for a looseball in the first game of 2007 FIBA Americas game against Venezuela. We try to have a tone-setting mindset here at FanNation Kicks. Good luck to all the athletes and fans who try to get some of the ultra-rare basketball shoes tomorrow.

This article first appeared on Sneakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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