Nike Zoom Kobe 4 Product Test

Nike Zoom Kobe 4 Crest Colorway (Photo Cred: Yuku)

As Nike states  – 11.6 ounches, and 20 percent lighter than your average Nike Basketball shoe, the spotlight was on the lowtop. An average basketball athlete in the league runs about 2.5 miles per game. You have less weight which incurs meaning the athlete has more conserved energy, less wasted movements, jump higher and/or run faster during the process of the game. Although the skeptics and doubters continued, Kobe kept on proving them wrong on a nightly basis.

The product shoe I had was pretty close to the final version. The midfoot overlay felt more of the material used via the Flywire molding from the Nike Hyperdunk 2008. The final version used a slightly more dense Flywire around the wrapping of the shoe to keep the foot in place. The Zoom Kobe 4 also had a lot more released colorways as a general shoe release, including Playoff versions with gold-like graffiti. The Phylon midsole on the product test sample did not seem to have a heavy compound build compared from the final version. I personally wasn’t a fan of the Lunar foam feeling and preferred a full Zoom Air Unit, but then again, they are trying to transition a low-to-the-ground-shoe and needed proper cushioning so it didn’t make you feel like you were playing barefoot. Also the traction of the Herringbone pattern on the model I tested seem to have a heavier rubber outsole built probably due to testing XDR like material for outdoor purposes.

Suffice to say all the criticism people had made with playing in low top sneakers was laid to rest when the 2008-2009 LA Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals (it only made sense to throw in a picture of Kobe vs Dwight while wearing Nike Zoom Kobe 4 Away Championship PE) while winning his 4th Championship while wearing his 4th signature model shoe and winning NBA Finals MVP. Coincidence? I think not…

 As Ye would say: