Nike Hyperdunk

Basketball

words by Nick DePaula

There’s been several milestones over the course of Nike Basketball’s history, from the Air Force 1 to the Air Pressure, and onto more modern classics like the Zoom Flight ‘95, Flightposite 1 and Zoom Lebron II. Deep in the Kitchen of the Mia Hamm Building, innovation never stops, and famed Hoops designer Eric Avar was hand-picked to design the latest, and perhaps greatest, offering from Nike Basketball: the Hyperdunk.

Inspired by the classic Tinker Hatfield-created Air Mag from the 1989 movie Back To The Future II, Avar began working on the Hyperdunk nearly two years ago. He set out to create a shoe that carried over similar learnings from the Huarache 2K series that he designed, and also hoped to implement Flywire Technology in what would be the lightest, most supportive shoe designed for the Alpha Player – in this case Nike was able to tap into the perfect subject – Kobe Bryant. “He is a very demanding athlete when it comes to his product,” explains Mark Parker, Nike’s CEO and President. Whether he’s fading away for another jumper or slashing to the basket for a defender-mystifying reverse lay-up, there’s nobody quite as skilled and efficient on-court as Bryant, and also no one that places quite the amount of lateral forces and strain on his footwear.

The goal for Kobe is simple. “[That] I don’t lose seconds,” he says. “For me it’s all about reaction time.” And so, Avar began designing the shoe while simultaneously working on the Zoom Kobe III – both with the aid of regular input from Bryant himself. “I want a shoe that’s light, helps my reaction time and is comfortable,” Bryant definitively says. “It just better not be ugly.” It’s been no mystery that Kobe has long heralded the Zoom Huarache 2K4 as his favorite game shoe, and in the Hyperdunk you’ll notice a similar silhouette, down to the assuring collar height and pronounced lateral outrigger. His needs have varied annually, from the Zoom Kobe 1 that he wore after a summer filled with two-a-day strength workouts in which he gained twenty pounds of muscle, to his current need for a lighter shoe this year in the Hyperdunk, after weighing in at just 200 pounds to start the season, his lightest weight since 1998. “The Kobe 1 was a little heavier than the 2K4,” says Bryant comparatively. “That was done intentionally because I did a lot of running the summer before and I wanted more cushioning that season at the expense maybe of some weight. It changes every year based on my needs.”

Where the Hyperdunk luckily excels is in its light weight and unparalleled amounts of lateral support, allowing for the re-sculpted Bryant to be more swift and nimble in a halfcourt set. It weighs in at just 13.0 ounces in a size nine, a full ounce lighter than the Zoom Kobe III, which was already the lightest yet of the Zoom Kobe line. Bryant even joked that when he first saw the Hyperdunk in person, he naturally tossed it up into the air, uncertain if it would ever come back down. While lighter usually can mean flimsy – dare I remind those of you who played in the Hyperflight – in this case, the Hyperdunk arguably offers more support and stability than ever before, thanks to Flywire Technology. “Lightweight containment is something that people want to have,” says Yuron White, Nike Basketball Product Director. “You’re going to see [Flywire] continue in our stuff, and they are looking to use it in all the other categories.” White also went on to mention that next season’s Zoom Kobe IV will also rely on Flywire Technology to progress Kobe’s demands for lightweight support.

The Hyperdunk is full of its own thoughtful design cues from the legendary Avar. The boldly molded midfoot and heel counters offer stability and lock the foot down, and the shoe’s upper is purposefully designed with an abundance of Nike’s revolutionary Flywire Technology. With precisely placed strands of Vectran aligned over the thin and breathable Polyurethane paneling, Flywire allows for the shoe to weigh in dangerously low, yet also offer enough support for even a brute’s frame. An immediately noticeable difference in the Hyperdunk is also its insistence on going strap-less, as compared to the Zoom Kobe II and Huarache 2K4 and 2K5 before it. To its credit, the lacing set-up is linked by a hidden ghilley eyelet which helps marry the midfoot to the ankle, as compared to the Huarache 2K5 in which the eyelets worked almost independently and at times created a sense of instability. Another sharp design touch from Avar is the eight dimples that can be found on the midfoot, heel counter, and along the toe, an ode to the Beijing Opening Ceremonies to be held this summer on 08.08.08. Even the naming of the shoe appears straightforward, referencing the game’s single most exciting play. “The lighter the shoe, the higher you can get up. We thought the name played perfectly to that,” explains Archie McEachern, Nike Basketball Catergory Footwear Leader.

While the lightweight support story in the Hyperdunk perhaps is seemingly the shoe’s highlight, the cushioning embedded in the tooling is also a first in basketball. At the heel is a standard 8mm large volume Zoom Air unit, which offers an obscene level of responsiveness and impact protection. The forefoot debuts Nike’s new Lunar Foam cushioning, which can also be credited for helping with the shoe’s weight reduction. Lunar Foam is 30% lighter than Phylite, but provides a bounce-back cushioning feel comparable to Zoom Air. “I think it’s more spongy and soft,” says McEachern when comparing the two. The outsole is comprised of a solid rubber traction pattern that underwent quite a few changes through the development process. What began as a solidly blocked outsole configuration soon was altered to include forefoot grooves for greater traction on the final production version, as well as a herringbone inset at the pivot point. There is also a radiused, decoupled heel for smooth transition upon impact. At the midfoot resides one of Nike’s most welcomed commodities, a nicely sculpted chunk of Carbon Fiber for added support.

Nike, rightfully, has big plans for the Hyperdunk, as Kobe Bryant debuted the shoe in the away Black/Canyon Gold colorway on TNT’s April 10th national telecast of the Lakers taking on the Clippers at the Staples Center. On Sunday the 13th, he also wore a more flashy Purple patent/Canyon Gold version of the Hyperdunk as the Lakers played host to the San Antonio Spurs. Keep a keen eye out for both colorways to quickstrike for purchase on Bryant’s www.KB24.com website in the coming weeks. Once the Olympic Games begin this summer, countries like Spain, Lithuania, Australia, Argentina, Russia and Germany will be treated to their own special makeup colorways, all of which will be available at Nike’s House of Hoops store located in Harlem. Look for Manu Ginobilli, Andrei Kirilenko, Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki to headline the list of international stars wearing the shoe this summer. The Hyperdunk will then be made available for ordering in at least eleven Team Bank colorways this fall, through catalog retailers like Eastbay and more traditional brick and mortar stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods. Retailing at just $110, Nike Basketball continues to offer more accessibility to its prized Zoom Air cushioning as well as a first glimpse at both Lunar Foam and Flywire Technology in one of its lightest total package shoes yet.

So – Does It Perform?

A select group of media members and myself actually were allowed to play some pickup games in the Hyperdunk at Nike’s Bo Jackson facility, and while I’ve never been huge on a higher collar height, there’s something so reassuring and yet so effortless about this shoe. I laced them up tightly one short of the top eyelet, and immediately while moving around I could feel the shoe’s benefits come to life. When reaching up for a rebound, I could immediately turn and head right down court, all the while enjoying a buttery smooth heel-to-toe transition, thanks in part to the Carbon Fiber midfoot spring plate. Oftentimes I’d take the ball the full-length of the court, either finishing myself or passing off to the MVP of the day, Christian Grant-Fields from DIME Magazine, who happened to be a little more dunk-savvy.

As Kobe himself entered the gym to catch a glimpse of our open run, surely nerves set in for a quick second, but I was able to re-focus and try and anchor the team with slashing moves to the basket and passes to the open teammate en route to a few 11-3 and 11-4 convincing wins over the competition. I specifically recall one halfcourt set where I became convinced of the Hyperdunk’s on-court merits. I caught the ball in my familiar right wing spot, and as I drove left past my defender towards the Free Throw line, I planted my left foot, dribbled left to right behind my back and finished with a right-handed lay-up. It was while planting my left foot that I recalled Kobe’s demands for improved reaction time, and sure enough he wasn’t kidding. When planting, jab-stepping, or even while defensive-sliding (I’d assume – I can’t promise I attempted this basketball maneuver) the Hyperdunk keeps your foot locked in over the footbed and allows for a great amount of control as you make your next step and take flight. Beforehand, I ranked the Zoom Kobe II as my favorite in terms of its awesomely low-to-the-ground feel and ability to change directions, but the Hyperdunk has surpassed that shoe, with an even more supportive upper thanks to Flywire as well as a more generous lining package compared to the harshly sculpted Kobe II.

While the Lunar Foam indeed helps reduce the overall weight of the shoe, I’d still stick with trusty Zoom Air if given the option, but after only a two-hour session, it’s tough to judge just how the innovative foam will break in during an extended season of play. I won’t go giving the Hyperdunk a letter grade just yet, as I like to play in a shoe at least eight to ten times before assessing it, but I definitely was impressed right out of the box with the overall comfort, fit, feel and support of the shoe. The weight is perceptibly light, traction sticky and reliable, and the cushioning added up to provide a great combination of responsiveness and low-to-the-ground court feel for the active player, which on a good day I’d like to consider myself. I purposefully shot less 3-pointers than normal, hoping to attack the basket and place enough strain laterally on the shoe on each drive to get a good gauge on the claims of Flywire, and sure enough, there’s noticeably a difference. Your foot simply doesn’t budge from side-to-side, and I’ve never felt a shoe where the support was so firm, and yet there was absolutely zero inner discomfort. While the Air Jordan XX3 locks your foot in wonderfully, there’s admittedly some inner chafing issues due to its midfoot chasis. With the Hyperdunk, you’re afforded great support but also gleefully soft inner comfort. Once I’m able to log some more serious time in the Hyperdunk, be on the lookout for an even greater in-depth look at its impressive on-court attributes here at solecollector.com, but for now I’ll say the Hyperdunk definitely gets a passing grade!

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