Nike’s KD 8, the latest signature shoe of NBA superstar Kevin Durant, is continuing to gain popularity in the league’s off-season, and the brand is looking to capitalize on it with the release of the Suit edition.
Late last week FN reported that the Beaverton, Ore.-based company said today that the “shoe is an homage to the suit” NBA player Kevin Durant wore during his MVP acceptance speech in May of 2014.
The shoe specifically references the suit worn during Durant’s MVP award speech for the 2013–14 season, will hit retail shelves Friday and comes with a $180 price tag.
The latest edition of the KD 8 boasts a court-purple upper with prominent hints of bright crimson from the toecap to the midsole, becoming less prominent from the midsole to the heel. The upper also features the brand’s green-strike color on the swoosh logo and KD logo on the tongue. The outsole is primarily vivid purple, with the green strike making an appearance on the full-length Zoom Air unit on the bottom.
Although the forward did not play much of the 2014–15 season due to injuries, Nike released the KD 8 in the off-season looking ahead to his return to the court for the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2015–16 season. The first edition of the shoe, a limited-edition Independence Day-themed release, hit stores June 27, followed by an all-red colorway on July 11. The shoe has also been available since June 23 for customization via NIKEiD.
