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Looking back at the genesis of the Nike KD line, which started as the affordable every-man basketball sneaker in the signature category, it’s amazing to witness the journey the KD took into becoming one of the major focal points of Nike Basketball. With Kobe Bryant nearing retirement and the Nike LeBron line now in double-digit category, we expect a lot of attention to go towards the Nike KD line, and for good measure; Durant gets better and better every year, and the KD sneaker is arguably the must-have of the bunch thanks to its sleek design and lower price-point in comparison to the LeBron and Kobe.

With the Nike KD V life-cycle coming to end in just a few weeks, Nike Basketball is ready to unveil the Nike KD VI sooner than expected; instead of the late year introduction, the Nike KD VI will be unveiled in the coming Summer/Fall months to give each Nike signature its own spotlight rather than clustering them so closely at the end of the year. The first expected release is this bright yellow/blue version, which could be deemed an “OKC Home” colorway. Aside from the color package, there’s some interesting design points to shed light on, starting with the revised cushioning system. Replacing the 180-degree Max Air on the heel is the 180-degree Zoom Air unit embedded in a Phylon midsole. The upper utilizes that “second skin” approach with the low-pro and seamless shell with embedded Flywire providing the necessary strength.

The tongue and lacing structure is again a structural achievement, with the split-tongue construction and shroud leaning on the lateral side providing stress relief on the foot while overlapping the medial upper that provides a bootie-like feel. The new KD logo on the tongue spells out “35” in negative space, while the classic KD logo is prominently placed on the heel. Overall, the low-cut, low-profile silhouette gives the sneaker almost a Kobe-like appeal, with the Hyperdunk-inspired forefoot Swoosh giving the sneaker much of an International Football approach. We’ve got some additional photos of this first look at the Nike KD VI below, so give it a review and let us know what stands out to you the most, and be sure to stick with Sneaker News for all your KD 6 updates.

Nike KD VI

599424-700

Summer/Fall 2013

Photo: taobao

