Since retiring, Kobe Bryant’s gone into storytelling, straying away from basketball. Bean just released a teaser to his Musecage program, in which he and a puppet discussed Russell Westbrook’s MVP chances.
Today, Nike unveils the next sneaker in Kobe’s signature line, the AD NXT. It’s story time.
Bryant and legendary Nike designer Eric Avar turned their attention to Hindu and Buddhist ideologies to get inspired for the AD NXT. The idea of rebirth, a major theme across both Hinduism and Buddhism, looms large over the new silhouette.
The Flyknit upper has a circular pattern that was inspired by a lotus flower and represents rebirth. This graphic is formed as a mandala–balanced, harmonious and symmetrical. On the laterial side, there’s a secret code that translates to “unhinge” (defined here as disrupting the normal operation), whereas on the medial side the code relays the thought, “end and begin.”
There’s also a new, out-of-the-box lacing system on the NXT. Pulling the laces up and out of the lace lock draws the structure together, creating a fluid system with the drop-in insole (combining Cushlon with a Zoom Air bag, and siped in the forefoot for flexibility).
Both the grey and volt colorways of the Kobe AD NXT release on April 3 for $200 each.
Photos courtesy of Nike
