Kobe IV is here...

Miami, FL

Tonight in Miami, Kobe and crew take on the Heat. Winners of the 2006 NBA Championship, the Heat feature the high flying act of Dwayne Wade. The Olympic Gold medal winning teammate of Bryant, leads the league in scoring at 28ppg. Although Miami has struggled, dropping their last three after a four game win streak, they should bounce back with a full effort against Los Angeles. The Lakers scoring 108 points per contest lead the NBA and should look for points early and often against this struggling Heat squad. With a sizable early advantage the Lakers could essentially suck all the wind from the sails of this reeling team and look for a comfortable win. Early on this year LA has had a tendency to play down to the level of their opponents, which leads to long nights and tough fourth quarter battles. 

The real news will be much lower than the 10 foot height of the basket. It will be skimming the hardwood beneath the heels of Kobe Bryant. Tonight will mark the debut of the Nike Zoom Kobe IV, the fourth signature shoe in Bryant's partnership with Nike. This shoe is more than just much anticipated, it is groundbreaking. For an elite NBA star to debut a shoe like this one is huge. The caveat, a 'true low-top'. Kobe approached the Nike design team asking for a shoe that gave him total range of his foot and ankle. The team delivered. His newest installment is the lightest basketball shoe Nike has ever made. The shoe inspired by that of his soccer counterparts, is extremely low cut. This is rare in the NBA where high tops are standard. Popular belief is the high top shoe protects the ankle from rolling and sprains better than a low-top. Kobe begs to differ, citing the fact that he has played basketball his whole life in high tops and rolled his ankle just the same. Bryant says he was inspired while watching soccer, an avid fan of Italy's AC Milan, he noticed how much stress these guys put on their feet. With matches that are long and full of running and cutting, the injuries to ankles are limited. Kobe also wanted a shoe that, 'felt like it was part of his foot'. This was achieved with the help of the Nike Sports Research Lab. The NSRL caught some of Kobe's explosive moves on slow-motion capture video. This enabled the scientists and designers to pick apart every frame of his ankle-breaking (opponents) repertoire. The results were impressive. In the low-top shoe Kobe is allowed sharper cuts with increasing responsiveness. 

The Nike Zoom Kobe IV will be a highlight of tonight's game. Tomorrow a very rare 'Venom' edition will become available to the public. Sneaker heads worldwide are surely lining up already. Starting Christmas Day until New Year's Eve, Nike will sell 24 pairs of the shoe on their Nike ID site. This limited number of shoes will be customizable to the buyers preferences. Shoppers add their own flair to a shoe, picking color pairs of their choice.