words // Nick DePaula
images // Sole Collector China
Once again designed by Ken Link, the second model in the Kobe Bryant signature series with Nike Basketball was about creating unrivaled performance for Kobe's evolving game.
What made the 2 so different from the rest was its Considered construction, highlighted by a segmented Free outsole for more control, a midsole that served as a footbucket, with a stitched upper harnessed atop it.
For Ken Link, the design challenge was to improve upon Kobe's favorite playing shoe up to that point, the Zoom Huarache 2K4 of just three seasons prior.
"If you take the 2K4, a great shoe, how can you make it more flexible, less layers, lighter, lower to the ground and provide better cushioning?" questioned Link. "Could you really change one of the best playing shoes we've done? And could you take it to the next level for Kobe?"
If you've never played in the Zoom Kobe 2, you're certainly missing out. The heel and forefoot Zoom units sit directly underfoot within the insole and are as responsive as it gets, and the collar stap and TPU heel chassis perfectly locked you right in.
Kobe might not have topped his 81-point game, but Ken Link certainly topped the 1 with a performance beast all crafted under Nike's Considered ethos.
