*Animations and Illustrations done by Ian Homem de Mello (Kickstory) – All rights reserved.*

Since the release of its first model in 2008, we can clearly see the evolution of material and the overall profile of the KD line. It’s where Nike always puts all its innovation in technology and sneaker materials such as leathers, fused materials, Foamposite, Mesh, Flyknit, Room, React, Flywire. All without losing the essence and style of the moment in which each sneaker was made.

KD has always brought a lot of his personal side to each colorway, each one has its story. Like the KD 2, a tribute to when he won NBA MVP, or the KD 5 ‘DMV’ that represents the colors from the region his from, our the KD 8 in honor of the sunrise he would see during his early morning training and the KD 10 that celebrates his first title. Even the KD 12, which was hardly used during his time in Golden State, already has some possible colorways for his next season with the Brooklyn Nets.

This was one of Kevin Durant’s last shots for the Warriors, the last basket before he got injured in that game, and one of the few times he ever used KD12.

The KD12 is probably Nike’s most technological basketball shoe out at the moment. While it doesn’t have any new technology per se, it takes new approaches to existing technologies, and therein lies the secret. Kevin Durant has already said that he likes shoes that are very loose and need no breaking time. He uses around 5 pairs during an entire season, while other players use that number in a few days. Therefore, the main idea of ​​the KD12 is to be “ready to use”, a model that needs no breaking in time.

Speaking of innovation, the main feature of the KD12 is the replacement of the regular Strobel board, which separates the insole from the midsole and the cushioning, with a turbo air zoom Strobel, an ultra-responsive cushioning. In other words, you step practically right on top of the zoom bag that goes from heel to toe, which has never happened before in a setup like this. The bag is the first contact with your feet after the sock liner.

Underneath the air zoom stable comes a thick layer of phylon foam contained by a translucent TPU frame. The phylon foam is almost entirely perforated to reduce weight and allow it to expand when compressed. This helps to maintain the stability of the shoe without losing the softness and flexibility of the material.

An extra zoom bag is located under the foam on the heel area. The shoe also features Quad-Axial-flywire, a new version of flywire that instead of some flywire cables, the model has a full mesh of material wires, so it holds the foot in any direction.