Yesterday, Hong Kong sneaker YouTuber and blogger Sneaker Highway 23 gave us the best images we’ve seen of the Nike Kyrie 7. All images used in this article are courtesy of Sneaker Highway, so if you’re not following or subscribed to him then you should do so; he consistently has early looks at sneakers for us.
The main takeaways are that we have received some tech specs via the insole. We now know that Zoom Turbo (which is what Nike is referring to when they say “articulated Zoom) is returning for the third consecutive model, after making its debut in the Kyrie 5.
The upper is said to be comprised of a composite textile, which is just means its a basic mesh material designed to be lightweight & breathable, while reducing the break-in period. We have seen an extensive use of engineered or micro-moulded mesh in previous Kyrie models, with the 4 & the 6 adding some semi-premium hits of leather and suede on the back half of the shoe in different colourways to this point.
The outsole is said to use a “computational” traction pattern, which just means a data-driven design based on Kyrie’s foot mapping. Similar approaches to the traction pattern have been used on the Adidas Harden line with the 1, 2 & 4 — with the Harden 3 going with traditional herringbone. The same pattern is also present on the insole.
Kyrie’s signature can be found on the external heel counter, and once again on the insole.
The Kyrie Irving logo is placed at the midfoot of the outsole, and presumably it will also appear on the tongue of the sneaker; however, we have not yet seen a clear image of this. Finally, the phrase “His legacy is going to live on forever” is debossed on the rubber at the heel of the outsole. Commenters have speculated that the phrase references Kobe Bryant, with whom Kyrie had a close relationship.
No official unveiling or announcement of the Kyrie 7 has taken place from Nike Basketball, so we still don’t have a retail price or release date.
Expect a retail price of US$130 and a release date in the final two weeks of December 2020.
All images courtesy of Sneaker Highway 23 @sneakerhighway23 on Instagram
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