We’d seen the photos floating around the web, but today Nike finally officially unveils the Nike KD8, Kevin Durant’s eighth signature sneaker with the brand. Billed as “the most technical” sneaker that KD has ever worn in his career, the KD8 features some firsts for Nike: both a Flyweave upper and an articulated full-length Zoom Air unit.
Designer Leo Chang has been working on this design for over two years, according to Nike. Says the brand: “Combined with Flywire cables in the forefoot, Flyweave locks you in like a seatbelt, but moves and feels like a second skin.”
Durant himself says he loves the springy response of the Zoom Air-Flyweave combo. “I didn’t want to take it off,” said Durant of his first wear-test, via Nike press release.
There are other key inspirations, like the heel counter as a nod to Durant’s sabertooth tiger tattoo, and the first “July 4” colorway, which pays homage to one of KD’s favorite holidays. The second, “V8” colorway is built to match KD’s customized Camaro with bold, matte red.
The Nike KD8 is available today, June 23 on NIKEiD for personalized customization, while the July 4th colorway is available on Saturday, June 27 in limited quantities, followed by the KD8 V8 colorway on July 11.
