Mr. Leo Chang and Nike, you did a fantastic job on the design of the KD 8 Elite. This sneaker is one that has never been seen before and could possibly be an innovator for a new style of sneaker.
It separates itself with a combination of a compression calf sleeve, sock, and low-top sneaker fused into one. Chang, Nike‘s lead designer, has been working with KD since his first model and said: “the KD8 Elite is conceptually designed to blur the lines between the sock, shoe, and tight; seamlessly transitioning between each so you can’t differentiate where one begins and the other ends.”
Durant will be wearing this shoe throughout the Thunder’s postseason run.
Along with the unusual design, the KD 8 Elite will boast Kevlar, Flywire technology, and full-length Zoom Air cushioning, which have become more and more abundant on Nike’s basketball sneakers.
I love the Flywire and Zoom technologies that Nike puts on their products; I don’t think I’ll end up buying this sneaker because it is a low-top and I feel more comfortable in high-tops. Nike, however, does state that there will be added support with the compression sock.
The sneaker will be available to the general population in three colors on three different dates:
- April 14th, white
- May 5th, gray
- May 26th, black