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9. Nike Kobe X
The Good: With a fairly underwhelming design for what would be Kobe’s 10th signature series, the shoe is still adept at all of the things you’ve come to expect from his line. The targeted collar height, midfoot fit and lockdown are all there. The shoe’s Lunarlon drop-in is comfortable, though not explosively responsive, and the traction is reliable and solid.
The Bad: While the re-addition of Zoom Air is cool and all, everyone knows that it’d be better served in the forefoot instead of heel. While Nike has gradually evolved their use of engineered meshes, the upper is largely unspectacular on these. The $180 retail price is simply offensive. The shoe follows much of what has made the line successful since the IV, but doesn’t take us anywhere new, as many may have expected being it was a landmark model in number alone.
