Kobe 11 'Achilles Heel' Release Date, Price & Official Photos Revealed
The final on-court signature shoe of Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, who will retire after the 2015-16 NBA season, will make its debut this month and is expected to be among the hottest items on the sneaker market in the coming months.
The Kobe 11 will be released in "Achilles Heel" edition, which is officially listed as the University Red/Black/Bright Crimson/Metallic Gold colorway of this signature model.
The Kobe 11 "Achilles Heel" edition features a red-based upper part with black hints. It also sports black laces, black Nike Swoosh logo on the heel and black tongue with metallic gold Black Mamba logo on it. Inside the shoe is a black insole with Black Mamba logo. It was finished off with a black midsole and translucent outsole.
According to Nike, this edition, which was first seen online late last month when Bryant's 11th signature shoe was announced, was inspired by Greek hero Achilles as proven by a graphic representation on the heel of the right shoe.
"Known to be invulnerable in all of his body except for his heel, Achilles' ultimate demise resulted from an arrow to his weak point during the Trojan War. Consequently, the term 'Achilles heel,' was born," Nike noted. "The Kobe 'Achilles Heel' features a graphic representation of the hero on the right heel."
This edition also features four lines on the left heel, which symbolizes the sutures needed, when Bryant underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles in 2013. Nike compared Bryant to Achilles for being almost invincible for the majority of his career. It also pays tribute to Bryant's "superhuman effort" before sustaining the Achilles injury and his perseverance after suffering from the major injury.
The Kobe 11 "Achilles Heel" edition will arrive at retailers on Jan. 9 with retail price set at $200 per pair. Check the official photos of this upcoming signature shoe along with related items.
Aside from its simple but stunning look, Nike said that the final on-court signature shoe of Bryant features Flyknit innovation. It has a Flyknit upper that looks similar to the Kobe 10, but Kobe 11's upper part also has what they called "pearlescent fibers" made of thermoplastic polyurethane threads.
Nike said during the official announcement that the Kobe 11 pays tribute to Bryant's signature legacy by creating a lightweight and responsive shoe with topnotch performance-based qualities combined with sophisticated design. Bryant also said that he was involved in the process of designing and creating the new Kobe 11.
"Throughout my time with Nike, I've obsessed the details of my shoes. For the Kobe 11, we worked to perfect Flyknit for basketball," Bryant said in a statement.
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