LSU signee Bella Hines reacts to gold and purple Mamba kicks from Nike ahead of freshman season with Kim Mulkey's team

LSU women's basketball commit Bella Hines cannot wait to wear the program's new sneakers ahead of the 2025-26 season. The Lady Tigers debuted the Nike Kobe V Protro "Year of the Mamba" purple and gold sneakers during March Madness.

On Tuesday, Hines showed off her own pair of the sneakers, which she will wear in her freshman season.

"😍 😍 😍," she captioned the story.

Bella Hines reacts to LSU's Nike purple and gold sneakers on IG story. Image via @bellahines

Ranked 30th in ESPN's top 100, Hines committed to LSU in November, alongside four-star recruits like Divine Bourrage, ZaKiyah Johnson and Grace Knox. As a junior at Eldorado High School, Hines surpassed 2,000 career points as she averaged 32.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

“I chose to play at LSU and for Coach Mulkey because I wanted to be a part of a winning program and I know with Coach Mulkey I can do that,” Hines said per LSU website. “A big part of why I wanted to play for Coach Mulkey is because she cares more about me as a person and my education than just a basketball player.”

LSU coach Kim Mulkey called Hines a standout 3-point shooter, which the program was looking for in her class. Mulkey also predicted that the two-time Player of the Year in New Mexico will be a game changer for the Lady Tigers in the future.

Bella Hines reveals why she committed to LSU

Prior to her commitment, Bella Hines had several other options, including Iowa, Baylor, Arizona, Texas Tech, North Carolina State, West Virginia, Florida State, TCU and Kansas State. However, the Lady Tigers won the race for her commitment and the New Mexico native credited Kim Mulkey for it.

“I’ve loved Coach Kim Mulkey ever since she was at Baylor. I told my dad that wherever she went, I wanted to be there,” Hines said per Forbes. “But even more than that, I just felt really at home there during my visit. Even my sister, who I am really close with, said that she could see me going there and seeing herself going there to visit me. That meant a lot coming from her.”

The 5-foot-9 guard also made history by becoming the first active high school athlete, male or female, to sign a Name, Image and Likeness deal with the Jordan Brand.

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Edited by Krutik Jain