Nike’s signature KD line, highlighting the on-court prowess of two-time NBA Champion Kevin Durant, is gearing up for the latest shoe in his popular basketball sneaker series: the KD12. Now, the Swoosh is giving you an inside look at how the silhouette came about before its anticipated debut early next month.
The primary core when looking at the KD12 design is based on an element called “the strobel.” To sum up this classic footwear term, it’s pretty much the part of your shoe that separates your foot from the cushioning. Nike Basketball’s Senior Creative Director Leo Chang approaches it differently here, opting to stitch a full-length Air Zoom bag to the upper where the strobe normally sits between the sockliner and midsole. That, combined with an ultra-plush Flynknit tongue, perforated Zoom midsole, TPU sidewall and quad-axial Flywire upper, makes this a next-level model that’s fit for a 10x NBA All-Star and regular streetball star alike.