The Nike KD 11 Deconstruct sneaker before it drops

One benefit of the Nike KD 11 releasing Stateside a month after the global release is that the team over at FastPass was able to deconstruct the highly-anticipated sneaker before it drops.

Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby. While Nike did provide a sketch to showcase the tech inside the KD 11 , we love the team at FastPass for giving us a look inside the actual shoe, with detail.

The React and Zoom Air cushioning setup used in the KD 11 is probably the highlight of the now two-time NBA Champion’s latest signature, so let’s get right to it. The cut of the left sneaker reveals full-length top-loaded Zoom Air unit over React foam. The Zoom Air unit is about 7mm thick — specifically 6.58-7.16mm from forefoot to heel in this pair.

The React midsole has also been cored out atop the midfoot shank, likely to combat the added weight the rubber cupsole brings to the shoe, which means its a true window. The insole atop the strobel looks pretty thick and is expected to provide comfort upon initial wear.

Further deconstruction shows what appears to be an internal TPU heel-counter along with plenty of padding around the Achilles and ankle. The internal bootie features heavy stitching beneath the Flywire, which should serve as reinforcement for lateral containment. However, the true reinforcement at the toebox is actually around the inside of the Flyknit upper, not the suede overlay at the lateral side of the toe (Nightwing2303 recently addressed some durability issues in this area on Instagram.

Up-close, Nike Kobe 1 Protro the groves on the outsole look somewhat shallow and spaced relatively tight. This leads us to believe that the pattern may attract and hold