Nike Basketball unveiled its second signature sneaker for Kyrie Irving, and while the first version was loaded with design details based on who he is as a person, the Kyrie 2 was created to support the unique aspects of his game.
Irving’s crossover dribble is one of the best in business, and in order to make sure the Kyrie 2 was able to help him pull it off as easily as possible, Nike introduced a curved bottom surface of the midsole and outsole, which is the first of its kind for a basketball sneaker. It’s meant to allow Irving to redistribute his weight and cut without “slapping his foot to the court,” which should help him remain as explosive as possible.
The Kyrie 1's traction was among the best on the market, and it appears to be amped up even further on the latest edition. There’s additional traction around the curved outsole, which was put into place not only to support that killer crossover, but also to help Irving stop on a dime for his pull-up jump shot. There’s a new strapping system that wraps across the top of the foot, which is there to provide additional lockdown support to keep his feet in place.
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“The strap is designed to suck your heel back into the shoe and keeps it secure, whether you’re accelerating or decelerating,” the shoe’s designer, Leo Chang said. “Similar to how a boxer doesn’t want his hand to move inside the glove when it hits his opponent, Irving’s feet should feel snug when they reconnect with the ground.”
The final aspect of Irving’s game targeted in this iteration of his sneaker was his ability to blow by defenders on quick drives to the basket. Midsole cushioning and a Zoom Air heel unit allow for a faster heel-to-toe transition during acceleration, while a large circle on the forefoot of the sole helps with the types of pivots and spins we’ve come to expect when watching Irving on a game-to-game basis.
These aren’t small changes, and while the design aspects of the Kyrie 1 were indeed personalized, it’s clear that the focus when creating the Kyrie 2 was all about crafting something that would provide Irving with an elite level of performance.
The “Effect” colorway of the Kyrie 2 (pictured below) releases on Dec. 15, while the red and black “Inferno” version drops on Jan. 1. It’s also available now on NIKEiD to customize.
