Kevin Durant sits in the hottest spot of an airplane-hangar-sized room—under the lights on a faux basketball court—and looks like the coolest one there. Everyone else is sweating, sucking down as many sample-sized bottles of water they can get their hands on, and Durant is, like, literally chilling, resplendent in the just-introduced home Team USA uniform, complete with matching brand-new Nike KD9s. He’s healthy, his Oklahoma City Thunder are playing well: What’s there to sweat?
It’s the second day of Nike’s 2016 innovation intros, and while the focus is on national team uniforms, we’re here to ask Durant—and designer Leo Chang—about the KD9, which won’t hit the market until late June, and the radical KD8 Elite, which Durant has just started wearing on court.
What’s the 8 Elite been like to play in? It’s definitely a radical-looking shoe.
Yeah, I mean, that’s what we tried to go for, man. I think when you try to tip the scale on being innovative, things might come off a little different and a little unusual. And that’s the feel that we wanted to go with. It’s definitely played well for me, I feel great in it. They’re different, obviously, but they’re cool.
Yeah, I mean, that’s what we tried to go for, man. I think when you try to tip the scale on being innovative, things might come off a little different and a little unusual. And that’s the feel that we wanted to go with. It’s definitely played well for me, I feel great in it. They’re different, obviously, but they’re cool.
Does it feel different for you even suiting up in them? Because normally it would be the tight and then the sock and then the shoe.
Yeah, I have a lot of time that I have to get ready for the games, like right before I walk out on the floor I gotta realize I need a couple more minutes extra to put my shoes on, ‘cause it takes a little while to get into the sock. But nah, it’s great, I think it’s a head-turner when you see ‘em, and everyone’s been asking me about ‘em. So hopefully we see some more guys wearing ‘em.
Yeah, I have a lot of time that I have to get ready for the games, like right before I walk out on the floor I gotta realize I need a couple more minutes extra to put my shoes on, ‘cause it takes a little while to get into the sock. But nah, it’s great, I think it’s a head-turner when you see ‘em, and everyone’s been asking me about ‘em. So hopefully we see some more guys wearing ‘em.
What did Russell Westbrook say when he first saw them?
He was actually shocked, he was trying to analyze the shoe and figure out how it works, but that’s the reaction we’re going for, man. It definitely plays well, that’s the most important thing, that it plays well, but the look is new and different for us.
He was actually shocked, he was trying to analyze the shoe and figure out how it works, but that’s the reaction we’re going for, man. It definitely plays well, that’s the most important thing, that it plays well, but the look is new and different for us.
Does this feel fast for you, going from the 8 to the Elite and now to the 9 already?
Yeah, this is the first time we’ve done this, I think this is the first time Nike has moved this quickly on unveiling a shoe. So I’m grateful that I’m a part of it. I sat down and talked to Kobe one day and I asked him, I said, what made him design—the one that looked like a boxing shoe, the 9, I asked him, “What were you thinking?” And he just said, “It’s all about innovation, finding new innovation.” And I want to be a part of that. So with the Zoom bag and then the Flyknit on a basketball shoe, along with the new bag. I felt like I wanted to step into that space as well, I wanted to be the guy that started off new innovation.
Yeah, this is the first time we’ve done this, I think this is the first time Nike has moved this quickly on unveiling a shoe. So I’m grateful that I’m a part of it. I sat down and talked to Kobe one day and I asked him, I said, what made him design—the one that looked like a boxing shoe, the 9, I asked him, “What were you thinking?” And he just said, “It’s all about innovation, finding new innovation.” And I want to be a part of that. So with the Zoom bag and then the Flyknit on a basketball shoe, along with the new bag. I felt like I wanted to step into that space as well, I wanted to be the guy that started off new innovation.
They were talking about with the Flyknit that you were into that since the Flyknit running shoe. So it’s been a while for you.
I’ve been a huge fan of Flyknit since it was on the running shoe, and I wondered if anybody would ever take it to a basketball shoe and how it would work. When Kobe dropped it I was a little jealous, because I wanted to be the first, but now that I’m a part of it, man, it’s just amazing.
I’ve been a huge fan of Flyknit since it was on the running shoe, and I wondered if anybody would ever take it to a basketball shoe and how it would work. When Kobe dropped it I was a little jealous, because I wanted to be the first, but now that I’m a part of it, man, it’s just amazing.
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