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8. Nike Kobe 9 Elite
The Good: The Kobe line was already headed to an extremely high silhouette cut regardless, as Eric Avar designed it before Bryant’s disastrous Achilles tear in the spring of 2013, but the story worked well, and the high, high top was something from a proprioception standpoint that many hoopers enjoyed playing in. In tandem with the shoe’s support chassis, drop-in Lunarlon insole and incredibly well-done traction pattern, the shoe performed for players of all sizes.
The Bad: With the added height and a fully-backed Flyknit upper, the breathability of the 9 was seriously terrible. And as always, lovers of Zoom Air once again weren’t crazy about the drop-in Lunarlon insole. The $225 price was also tough to ever fully justify.
