The Emperor’s New Shoe
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm, that is generally recognized to be above kings (ahem, LeBron James) in honor and rank. While the Emperor of Japan is thought to be the only remaining emperor on a throne in the world today, I would argue that people are overlooking Kobe Bryant.
That’s right, Kobe Bryant is the Emperor of the NBA. Need some evidence? Try a globally telecast launch of his sneaker, the Kobe Zoom IV, this afternoon.
Held at legendary Westchester High School, home court to Kobe’s Lakers teammate Trevor Ariza, as well as Hassan Adams, Amir Johnson, Gabe Pruitt and Jason Hart to name a few, the gym was packed with current players and students from the high school, as well as members of the press.
When Kobe arrived, he was rockin’ a pair of the Zoom IVs, showing their off-court versatility. As you can see by the pictures, the shoe is hot. Being released in multiple colorways throughout the season as well as 24 exclusive pairs a day on NIKEiD’s site for the holidays, most people weren’t worried about how it looked, but rather how it played.
“That’s false,” Bryant said to the initial question on everybody’s mind that wearing high-tops provide better ankle support than the low-cut Zoom IV. “High-tops ain’t do nothin’ for me,” said Kobe in reference to all the times he’s sprained his ankle through the years.
Kobe Zoom IV in three different colorwaysUsing LunarLite technology that Nike created for the Olympics, they were able to create the lightest Nike shoe to date weighing in at a mere 11.6 ounces. That makes the Kobe Zoom IV a whole 1.4 ounces lighter than the revolutionary Nike Hyperdunk, bringing us back in agreement with Mars Blackmon. “It’s gotta be the shoes.”
I’ll hit you guys back with more verbals and visuals later. Just wanted to get you some looks of the new heat. Let me know what you think.
December 11th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Big Sia says:
Soft. High Tops are dope.
Wasnt light-ness a major component of Hyperdunk’s appeal?
December 11th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Mark says:
Interesting title, considering the shoe is somewhat translucent; icy sole(?) and flywire upper. I saw the webcast, good to see Dime representing.
I wasn’t entirely impressed with the webcast, however, primarily due to Kobe’s lack of enthusiasm apparent by some of his one sentence answers. Honesty’s great (see: I just go into a meeting and they do everything), but it made for a boring conversation. Also, the students were abnormally quiet for an athlete of Kobe’s caliber to show up. I’d be on the floor spazing out if I had this opportunity with one of my favourite stars. Maybe it’s the public education meals slowing them down.
For anybody that missed the webcast, there’s an interview on ESPN.com (I don’t know if I should link it) that pretty much summarizes the whole telecast ~4 minutes. Unfortunately I watched that before the live one, so the unveiling wasn’t quite as spectacular.
December 11th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
AB_40 says:
less is more? I guess
they’re not that good looking, and if you’re gonna go street you rock the jordans or the air force 1’s. And didn’t gill already brought out the low tops… they’ve been a real good luck charm for em… And why nba players don’t just wear ankle braces is beyond me.
December 11th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Aron says:
@Big Sia
Yea, lightness was a major component of the Hyperdunk’s appeal but these kicks are even lighter!
@Mark
There definitely was a conversation taking place, but you could see if Kobe wasn’t feeling the question then he wasn’t going to be giving a long answer. After the cameras were done rolling, he got more into it as well. As for the kids, they were all mad cool. Kobe and Trevor Ariza (who was in the house) are idols for them. Showing guys that make it to the L. I’ll be posting up some pics and more on them later.
@AB_40
I hear you about Gil, but it wasn’t the low-tops that got him hurt. As for the ankle braces, one thing that I’m writing about for the next installment is how Kobe loves this shoe so much because it’s like a glove on his foot. There is no slide on the court giving you those extra seconds.
Come back later for more pics!
December 11th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Sweet Jones says:
those purple joints are sweeet!
December 11th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
JCARR says:
Gray with black and yellow are nice… Any other colors going to be available in the future? Are they durable??
December 11th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Mark says:
Aron, I suppose so. It’s not that I was knocking Kobe (I’d be moody if I were in their shoes, akin to Vince Carter), but he just seemed dismissive on some questions, when he could have been more enthusiastic. One particular shot regarding the energy level was a kid on the squad kind of looking uninterested (this was before the host threw the shoe out for ‘em to feel: the kids loved that) like he was watching the tele. Perhaps out of awe, perhaps out of boredom; but looking fatigued, nonetheless.
Aside from all my complaining, I was actually genuinely interested. I’d hope webcasts (for marketing purposes or not) like this become more common. For a sneakerhead, it’s fun listening to the people involved with the production having a chat.
And Aron, were you sitting down while you were asking your question? Hahaha. I might be mistaken (it was 4 hours ago), but it need to be addressed.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
heartbreaker85 says:
i was at a nike chain last night, was comparing the hyperdunk’s weight with other shoes using both hands. the blasted thing is light, so if this one is LIGHTER…
what’s nike using anyway? they have fancy names and shit for it, but what i see is this:
rubber soles with plastic-thin like material for the skin and the tongue’s basically the only thing that has cloth in it.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Aron says:
@JCARR
Many other colors going to be available in the future! Including NIKEiD!
@Mark
Trust me, the kids were stoked, but definitely in awe of Kobe sitting directly in front of them and engaging them. Haha. I was sitting down while I asked my question! I was the first guy, so I didn’t know that I was supposed to stand up. I was in the front row.
@heartbreaker85
Lighter! As for what they’re using, I sat down and talked with the designer - who is a genius - and basically NASA calls up Nike for ideas.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
bamba says:
idk why they reaaally have that running shoe feel to it
December 11th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
marcus says:
I hate to interrupt this Kobe worship session but…
What the hell does this have to do with education? It sounds like a free add for the sneaker company.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Big Chris says:
Make sure you hit up the Cheesecake factory while you are in marina del rey.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
JRUF says:
Hey Dime, I was actually with you guys, playing ball in Beaverton for the launch of the Hyperdunks earlier this year. Wish I was there for these, they look dope!
December 11th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Dagomar says:
If Kobe’s the emperor Lebron is the pope.
December 12th, 2008 at 1:38 am
jay says:
shoes look dope..def growing on me.the xmas day shoe looks sick..the shoe kobe was rocking…is that the asia limited..i like that ..would rather have the all black with purple swoosh…hope that is the venoms that is limited!
December 12th, 2008 at 7:13 am
baron von faulk says:
How much do you folks pay for this crap again?
December 12th, 2008 at 11:23 am
bballinca says:
Hit up the Cheesecake Factory? Like they aren;t all over the country? He needs to hop in a car and go over to Lawry’s or Roscoe’s