More than anything else, compiling and arguing about listsāespecially sneaker listsāis fun as hell. So letās have some fun.Ā
KICKS 21Ā is āThe List Issue.ā Over the next few weeks, weāll be releasing rankings that put an end (or beginning) to every hot debate in the world of sneakers.Ā
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Kyrie Irving‘s wizardry with the ball is just about unparalleled throughout NBA history. His feets have been proper every time he breaks down defenses, too. Now four signatures deep, with two additional silhouettes, Irving’s sneakers have become the most popular for young fans of the game. His storytelling through colorways is next-level, as you’ll read below. The technology in his shoes makes them premium performance kicks, as well.
The Swoosh has big plans for Ky, but you’ll just have to wait and see on that.
In the meantime, here are three reasons with Irving’s line is important:
1. Colorways
Irvingās had PEs for the Kyrie 3 and the Kyrie 4 that matched the colors of the Celtics and Cavaliers jerseys, but Nikeās used the Kyrie line to explore storytelling through extensive colorways. Theyāve gone away from traditional black versions for road games and white versions for home games. Instead, the line has been the testing ground for sneakers that donāt even match the jerseys at all. With loud pops of colors and graphic-uppers, Irvingās sneakers are now setting the standard that kicks should stand out.
2. Collaborations
Irvingās kicks havenāt been afraid to look outside of Nike. Dating back to the āUncle Drewā Kyrie 1 and āKy-Rispy Kremeā Kyrie 2, and now with the āWheatiesā Kyrie 4, Irving is ready to put other companiesā logos on his kicks. Itās opened the door to a world of possibilities. He even has a āCereal Packā out. His most important collab, though, is with Kobe Bryant. They connected for the āBruce Leeā Kyrie 3. Then a āMamba Mentalityā Kyrie 4 dropped. Their partnership isnāt over, either. Thereās going to be more Kobe x Kyrie kicks down the line.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXqTLTQlw1E/?taken-by=kyrieirving
3. Love for the WNBA
Dating back to the Kyrie 2, a select group of WNBA players have been given PEs that Irving is very proud of. We talked to him about it back in December 2016: āSue [Bird] is a great friend of mine now. I told her at [Team] USA, she had better colorways than I did. Iām teasing her about it, but that right there just shows me that she believes in not only the shoe, she believes in me.ā
Bird, Seimone Augustus, Tiffany Hayes, Tina Charles and others have been wearing exclusive Kyrie heat since last summer. And when the āPower is Femaleā Kyrie 4 recently dropped, it took over the W like a wave.
Other lists from KICKS 21:
The 8 Hottest KICKS of 2018 (So Far) š„
The 15 Best UA Colorways of 2017-18 š
The 15 Best LeBron 15 Colorways of 2017-18 š
The WNBAās 25 Biggest Sneakerheads šš