First Look at Kevin Durant's Nike KD 13

After Kevin Durant‘s Nike KD 13 was initially teased by way of a short workout clip posted in February, images of the new Nike Basketball silhouette in “Black/White” have surfaced. Trading out the technical, translucent aesthetic and sleek lines of the KD 12 for a more straightforward, utilitarian style, the KD 13 offers no-frills tooling and potent tech.

KD13 pic.twitter.com/wAqKqoomoD

— stmr useleven (@US_11) March 18, 2020

This “Black/White” makeup of Durant’s 13th signature Nike silhouette uses a black fabric upper with a grid pattern and supportive midfoot/collar overlays. A large white lateral Swoosh dips down onto the speckled white/gray midsole, where it switches to gray for extra contrast. Branding is kept more subtle on the medial side, with a small, delicately stitched backwards white Swoosh appearing on the midfoot overlay. Blue flecks run thorough the laces, and more blue appears on the small tongue badge.

Gray and white is the name of the game on the lower half, with midsoles taking on the aforementioned speckle print while outsoles look to a marbled pattern. Small blue hits towards the forefoot provide a pop of color. From a cushioning standpoint, the KD 13 uses double-stacked Air Zoom tech under the ball of the foot and a full-length Zoom footbed, making for a supportive and responsive feel that carries on the KD12’s Zoom Strobel tech. Overall, the shape is somewhat reminiscent of Kobe Bryant‘s Nike Kobe AD Mid from 2017. However, it offers a look that’s more blocky than streamlined thanks to its thick midsole and super-sized lateral Swoosh.

Just 8 months after tearing his Achilles, @KDTrey5 is putting in work ” src=”https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/svg/1f4aa.svg”>

(via @devontetyoung) pic.twitter.com/0gU7O7VfEa

— ESPN (@espn) February 19, 2020

Between the suspension of the NBA season and the recent announcement that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus alongside three of his Brooklyn Nets teammates, it’s been an undeniably rough stretch for Durant. However, things will hopefully brighten up for the Slim Reaper when the Nike KD 13 releases at retailers like Foot Locker on April 17 with a yet-to-be-announced retail price.

Elsewhere in the world of Nike and Jordan Brand, the Jordan Aerospace 720 was revealed in a bold “Black/Blue Fury” colorway.