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When early images of the all-new Nike Kobe 11 began to surface, trickling about the internet much like clips from arenas each night during Bryant’s farewell tour, many came to the conclusion that the shoe featured a striking resemblance to past models. And for the most part, that’s true. But upon closer investigation with the official reveal today, the Nike Kobe 11 is nothing like its predecessors. Here, progression is the name of the game.
Bryant, having long obsessed over the details of his signature line, pairs with longtime Nike designer, Eric Avar, for his eleventh installment of the Kobe series. Perfecting Flyknit technology as it relates to the technology’s implementation on a basketball shoe, the Kobe 11 features unique pearlescent fibers deeply embedded within the low-cut style, representing the progressive nature of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) threads.
Avar and Bryant, even with modern breakthroughs in Flyknit implementation, persist with the less-is-more philosophy. The lightweight, responsive shoe embarks on a course streamlined in excellence, with stops along the way that include Lunarlon foam cushioning, a translucent rubber outsole for extreme traction and a Zoom Air heel unit marking the pinnacle of responsiveness.
This first colorway, the Nike Kobe 11 “Achilles Heel,” dressed in Bright Crimson and black, lands at Nike on January 9 alongside an accompanying apparel collection. Take a closer look below.
