New Balance formally unveiled Kawhi Leonard’s signature basketball shoe at 10am ET Monday August 17, as part of a “4 Bounce” collection which includes the New Balance ML850BWR in addition to apparel.
The collection is a tribute to Kawhi Leonard’s Game 7 buzzer-beating game-winner in last year’s playoffs, a shot that bounced on the rim 4 times before finally dropping through and giving the Toronto Raptors the victory against the Philadelphia 76ers.
We also received tech specs for the KAWHI, as well as some insight into the design choices and details.
The sneaker was designed by Jonathan Grondin (Design Director of Basketball for New Balance) with and for Kawhi, the signature features include braid-inspired stitching, a resume-repping tongue and eyelets based on the taillights from his classic ride.
It offers a FuelCell midsole and [New Balance’s] new full-length performance plate. The upper is engineered with Kinetic Stitch, a data-driven thread application that helps control movement where you need it most.
The signature collection will be available online in limited quantities and in limited men’s sizing only (9.5 – 14.5) in the US, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and United Arab Emirates. It will also be dropping online at select retailers.
We will be receiving access to them here in Australia as well, with the full signature collection available on the New Balance website, while the signature sneaker will only be available through Foot Locker.
Global release will be Thursday August 20 @ 10am ET. Retail price is set as US$160.
Information for this article obtained from the New Balance Basketball Instagram page
A campaign video for the sneaker can be viewed here
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