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CALIFORNIA CASUAL: NIKE KD11

Posted on Jun 19, 2018 in Nike

Last June 9th, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors made quick work of the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to their 2nd Larry O’Brien in as many years. As KD bagged his second Finals MVP trophy, Nike Basketball released his latest signature shoe, the KD11. For those wanting to know more about his latest shoe, it all began with an idea and a question.

For the idea, KD is all about comfort. He wants a broken-in feel, he doesn’t like tying his laces too tight, and comfort for him resonates somewhere between a sock and a runner. Designer Leo Chang tried to match KD’s wants with new technologies that might work for the KD11.

“For the tooling, we’ve created a perfect balance of plush ride and bounce,” explains Chang. “This doesn’t always happen; it really needs two materials to make it work.”

For this to work, the team created a cup sole that contains both Nike React and Nike Zoom. React provides the cushion between court and the body, while Zoom Air sits under the foot for the proper response. Although we haven’t seen KD on the floor with them, WNBA star Breanna Stewart debuted them a couple of days ago. With the right amount of foam forged into the KD11, any baller would love to play in them all day.

The KD11 also features an updated Flyknit, as it is more plush, a little more “broken-in”, thus making it a lot softer than previous models. “He likes the feel of the Flyknit Trainer and the Nike Epic React,” says Chang. “Last summer, he loved the Air Sock Racer — that is where the collar of the 11 came from, and all the lofting in the tongue and quarter followed.”

If some pairs are purely performance, the KD11 epitomizes California casual — the perfect mix of a laid-back chill shoe and performance sneaker in one.

As the KD11  “Paranoid” dropped two weeks ago, the next colorway “Still KD” is slated to drop on July 1st. The Nike KD11 retails for Php 7,645 and is now available at select Nike and Titan stores around the country. Check out some images of the “Still KD” colorway below.