A Close Look at the Upcoming Black Varsity Maize Nike Zoom Kobe III Plus Bonus China ZKIII Pic
As we alluded to in our [Kobe Bryant at the House of Hoops Post], Nike and Kobe Bryant are set to officially pre-release the Black/Varsity Maize and "China" Nike Zoom Kobe III this Saturday, Dec. 22nd, at the House of Hoops in Harlem. This pre-release will serve as a limited taste before the actual mass release in February.
Building on the concept first laid forth by the Nike Zoom Kobe II Lite/Finisher, the number 1 goal in designing the Nike Zoom Kobe III was decreasing the overall weight of the Kobe's sneakers. As Kobe himself mentioned in our coverage of the launch of last year's Nike Zoom Kobe II, he likes a light sneaker that allows him to effortlessly make his moves on the court. Taking this into the design process, Eric Avar created a TPU, inspired by the Basketball Net and the Black Mamba snake, over Mesh upper that provides an extremely light and breathable mix. To add reinforcement at the toe, the TPU/Mesh combo is cut off with Full Grain Leather.
Like the 2K4 and the Nike Zoom BB line, the ZKII features a midsole/sole to satisfy another Kobe request, superior court feel. Utilizing a lightweight "Natural Motion Phylon" midsole, "Natural Motion Pod" outsole, a midfoot Carbon Fiber shank plate, and a herringbone patterned outsole, the Nike Zoom Kobe III was designed to provide not only superior court feel, but also, superior traction and assistance with making quick cuts and sharp pivots/stops.
Aesthetically, the ZKIII features a large sweeping White Swoosh along the outer heel and Kobe hits on the tongue and on the outer heel through Kobe's "Sheath" logo.
Of course, as part of the Zoom Line, the Nike Zoom Kobe III features full length Zoom Air.
The Nike Zoom Kobe III is officially set to pre-release on Saturday, Dec. 22nd, at the House of Hoops in Harlem. The "China" Nike Zoom Kobe III is also officially set to release on this day as a House of Hoops and China exclusive.
Editor's Note: Although it was planned for Kobe to debut the ZKIII vs. the Knicks on Sunday, he is wearing them tonight, Dec. 20th, vs. the Cavs.
More After the Jump
"China" Nike Zoom Kobe III
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j says:
them grey ones in the back are niice
Marcus says:
y in da world does nike keep on screwin my favorite player wit da stupid lookin shoes!?!?!?!? dem ***** is probably hot to play in but lebron can wear his ***** off da court. . . . . ya dig?
J-wealth says:
these are by far the ugliest kobe's ever now i am convinced that he puts 0 input on the designing of his kicks
jay says:
shoe is growing on me but i have to admit i like the zkII a lot better and by a lanslide..i am sure the performance is top notch but just not feelin the design!!!
theprofromdover says:
Can't wait to pick some up at the outlets for 40 bucks in 7 months.
Rich216 says:
Looks like a great BBall shoe, lightweight, durable, and UNIQUE... I wonder what was the concept behind this design.
Rich says:
the blk ones are absolutely amazing, what a classic and unique design. thumbs up to Nike for this one.
kenny says:
All I will say is that the Lakers colorway makes all the difference in the world for this t-shoe? the total design concept is to me is just ok??? not really what I expected to see for the next NZKIII's? but it is what it is I guess?
new2_dagame says:
i really like them for some reason dont kno why though. they are different. but the grey one sin the back are dougie.
kev9 says:
like those grey ones in the back.
but nonetheless they still look like a cross between waffles and boxing shoes.
edwin says:
those look like waffles...lol
Devilb0y says:
they are a performance shoe..not easy on the eyes but they do look pretty light
JASNO says:
Rich216 says:
Looks like a great BBall shoe, lightweight, durable, and UNIQUE... I wonder what was the concept behind this design.
The concept behind them is the black mamaba...sleek, lightweight,& quick.
Nene33 says:
Why's everybody surprised at Kobe's excentric taste in shoes, after the THE KOBE, and the KOBETWO, or even the EQT-shoes he wore, you should know he likes his shoes high in technology, and with daring design's.
I really like 'em though, I'm copping both the Black ones and the MPLS-edition(the Grey/Powder Blue ones in the back).
kenny says:
LOOKING AT THE TOTAL DESIGN OF THE NikeZoomKobe III T-SHOE IS JUST A RE-MAKE OF THE NIKE'S 2K4-H'S THEY JUST USED DIFFERENT MATERIALS, BUT THE OUTLINE IS TOTALLY SAME AS THE Nike 2K4-H'S INSTEAD OF THE LEATHER COVERING THE T-SHOE THEY USED MORE SLEEKER MATERIAL AND DESIGNED IT LIKE A BASKETBALL NET!!! I MEAN EVEN THE SOLE OF THE T-SHOE IS THE SAME AS THE Nike 2K4-H'S THEY JUST HAVE DIFFERENT MARKINGS ON IT!!!