by Sandy Dover for BMF of Complex Media
The amazing aspect of Nike’s Kobe signature series is its evolution. From being somewhat conventional as a mid-cut basketball sneaker to getting higher to becoming something of a soccer shoe as a low-top to a something like a car with modifiable parts, the former Zoom Kobe series has become everything that innovation is canonized by in the signature Kobe models. Now, there is more to see and new ground that’s breaking.
Kobe Bryant is coming back with a high-top sneaker and the most divergent footwear seen from his shoes since the Zoom Kobe IV — the Nike Kobe 9 Elite.
On the heels of the Nike Kobe Prelude Pack, the Kobe 9 Elite is, at its simplest measures, a yarn-knit slipper fashioned and equipped as a performance basketball shoe, specifically made to enhance the strength and responsive abilities of the human foot — namely Kobe’s own feet. It’s everything the Nike Huarache series has aimed to be, everything that the Hyperdunk was working toward, and beyond what most people could believe is possible for a basketball shoe — footwear that has to absorbed thousands of pounds of force from running and jumping on the basketball court. …