There’s no doubt that Kyrie Irving has one of the best handles in the NBA. Maybe the best. His killer crossovers broke countless ankles, he is lightning quick and leaves fans and opponents alike staring with their mouths open. The unique way in which Kyrie moves on the court informed the design of his new signature shoe: the Nike Kyrie 2.
Kyrie’s mad handles (via Nike.com)
Leo Chang, one of Nike’s most prolific footwear designers and responsible for the KD series as well as the Kyrie 2’s predecessor used extensive data to tailor the new shoes to Iriving’s movement patterns. According to their analysis, Kyrie moves the ball nearly twice as fast as an average NBA player when dribbling. From a standstill at the 3-point line he can get to the rim in just 1.5 seconds – 15 percent faster than the typical NBA point guard. Basically, these are the numbers that translate to Uncle Drew making a fool out of his opponents on the court. Check below for some examples of Kyrie’s/Uncle Drew’s skills.
“You always want to have second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth moves so that the defender just gets tired and doesn’t want to guard you anymore” – Kyrie Irving
When they analyzed the way Kyrie executes his devastating crossovers, Nike observed that he continuously positions his body in such low angles that the sides of his shoes engage the floor. This led to the development of the uniquely shaped curved sides. The redesigned traction pattern continues through these curved parts of the midsole and outsole to further support this style of play. With the incredible succession of accelerating and decelerating moves, Kyrie needs to be locked into his footwear. Therefore, Nike added a midfoot strap to the Kyrie 2. In contrast to other basketball shoes the strap is not positioned across the forefoot but rather locks down the heel. According to Chang it is designed to suck your heel back in the shoe and keep it secure – much like a boxer’s fist in his glove.
Nike Kyrie 2 Tech Specs (via Nike.com)
Nike Kyrie 2 “Effect”
Multi-Color/White/Black
819583-901
December 15, 9 AM CET
Buy the Nike Kyrie 2 Effect at KICKZ.COM
Also available in our Stores Stachus/Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin Basketball and Stuttgart.
The first colorway “Effect” features a very clean black/white look on the toe box while the heel receives a colorful tie-dye splash pattern. A rather clear cut between these two styles is provided by the strap. The swoosh is placed on the clean white midsole while the curved outsole has some speckles in it. Like the KD and other signature shoes the Kyrie 2 features a lot of personal references in the form of Kyrie’s logo as well as details on the inside of both the tongue and the strap.
Kyrie Irving’s Best Handles 2015
Uncle Drew Ep. 4