Nike Kobe 8 System

About

The Nike Kobe 8 System debuted globally on December 20, 2012 (with a python-inspired colorway following in North America on February 2, 2013), the eighth signature basketball shoe designed for Kobe Bryant by Nike Performance Footwear Creative Director Eric Avar and his team in close collaboration with Bryant himself. It introduced Nike Engineered Mesh to basketball for the first time, an upper that is roughly 90 percent mesh for 360-degree breathability paired with no-sew synthetic overlays on the toe and lateral quarter panel. A full-length Lunarlon midsole kept the ride low and lightweight, while a one-millimeter rubber outsole combined a herringbone pattern with snake-scale-inspired traction. At just 9.6 ounces in a men's size 9, it stood as Kobe's lowest and lightest performance shoe to date, reflecting his request for a shoe that let him move at what he called "the speed of light." The design carried a provocative graphic snakeskin print referencing Bryant's on-court alter ego, the Black Mamba, with added inspiration drawn from the Chinese Year of the Snake in 2013. It retailed at $140.