{"id":400045,"date":"2014-08-21T14:49:51","date_gmt":"2014-08-21T19:49:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=400045"},"modified":"2022-09-14T03:09:26","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T08:09:26","slug":"kobe-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/kobe-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Sneaker Spotlight: Recapping the Evolution of the Nike Kobe 9"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Kobe Bryant<\/strong>&#8216;s ninth signature sneaker with Nike was a pioneer in a wave of ways, from its ultra-high silhouette to its Flyknit construction, and now the <a href=\"\/tag\/nike-kobe-9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Nike Kobe 9<\/strong><\/a> has turned into one of the most modified models to date. Originally designed around the Black Mamba&#8217;s preceding achilles injury, the first basketball shoe with Flyknit technology was rolled out as a skyscraper, but soon received multiple modifications to create an entire line of the Kobe 9. Although its endorser never laced a pair in his six NBA games last season, almost all of the variations have proven to be wildly successful. The lengthy list includes samples and the first Elite basketball edition, a lifestyle rendition, Engineered Mesh and Flyknit low-tops, culminating in a brand new version that adds a new chapter this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Leading up to the debut of the new Nike Kobe 9 Mid EXT that releases this Saturday, we look back at all of the previous versions of the model to date. Keep scrolling and clicking to get a full history lesson on the Nike Kobe 9, and keep shooting to Snkrs Day for everything sneakers.<\/p>\n<h2>Kobe 9 Samples<\/h2>\n<p>Before any version of the <strong>Nike Kobe 9<\/strong> released to the public, stacks of samples were considered. As the first basketball shoe with Nike&#8217;s complex Flyknit material, the direction of Kobe Bryant&#8217;s new signature was clearly a thorough though process. Different variations including mid and high-tops, as well as materials, were evaluated before the threaded and towering silhouette was put into production. The final sample of the <strong>Nike Kobe 9 Elite<\/strong> was spotted on the feet of the Black Mamba himself, right before the unveiling, as seen below.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Nike Kobe 9 Lifestyle<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Model:<\/strong> Nike Kobe 9 Lifestyle<br \/>\n<strong>Debut Date:<\/strong> January 31, 2014<br \/>\n<strong>Price: <\/strong>$120<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Even before the original performance basketball version that was unveiled last December released, an off-the-court translation popped up at the end of January. This <strong>Nike Kobe 9 Lifestyle<\/strong> featured a similar build in high-top form, but this time in leather with a flat midsole. While Kobe Bryant was unfortunately spending a lot of time on the sidelines, he was frequently spotted in this fashion variation.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Nike Kobe 9 Elite<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Model:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/tag\/nike-kobe-9-elite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nike Kobe 9 Elite<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Debut Date:<\/strong> February 8, 2014<br \/>\n<strong>Price:<\/strong> $225<\/p>\n<p>Two months after the UNVEILING of the progressive signature sneaker, the inaugural <strong>Nike Kobe 9 Elite<\/strong> hit retail in its debut <strong>&#8220;Masterpiece&#8221;<\/strong> colorway. Making waves with its Flyknit composition and raised up roof, the Black Mamba&#8217;s latest signature was a game-changer. Flywire and Lunarlon were also incorporated, finished off with a heel piece that was designed to protect Kobe&#8217;s affected area. Instantly accepted across the league, Nick Young debuted the futuristic design before they released to the public, kicking off a worldwide wave of the Nike Kobe 9 on-foot in the last six months.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Nike Kobe 9 EM<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Model:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/tag\/nike-kobe-9-em\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nike Kobe 9 EM<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Debut Date:<\/strong> March 29, 2014<br \/>\n<strong>Price: <\/strong>$160<\/p>\n<p>When the Kobe 9 was first unveiled, there was instant desire in the sneaker community for a low-top version. Many people drooled at the mere thought of a low-top Kobe basketball shoe with Flyknit technology, but the first convertible\u00a0 concoction came in the form of the <strong>Nike Kobe 9 EM<\/strong>. Replacing the model&#8217;s original Flyknit with an Engineered Mesh upper, people were skeptical at first, but soon bought into the lowered price tag and array of colorways and NIKEiD options.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low HTM<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Model:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/tag\/nike-kobe-9-elite-low\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low HTM<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Debut Date:<\/strong> April 8, 2014<br \/>\n<strong>Price: <\/strong><span class=\"st\">\u20ac <\/span>250 (approx $330)<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Only two weeks after the first Nike Kobe 9 EM without Flywire released, four different style codes of the threaded <strong>Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low HTM<\/strong> came out of nowhere. Nike&#8217;s super team of Hiroshi, Mark and Tinker put their personal spin on the Black Mamba&#8217;s latest by debuting the low-top with Flywire materials. Unfortunately for most of the sneaker market, the HTM Elite Low was unattainable, as they only released exclusively at Nike Stadium Milano and Excelsior in Milan.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Model:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/tag\/nike-kobe-9-elite-low\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Debut Date:<\/strong> July 12, 2014<br \/>\n<strong>Price:<\/strong> $200<\/p>\n<p>Three months after sneaker and Kobe Bryant enthusiasts were teased by the HTM Kobe 9, the innovator finally released to the general public with Flywire included on the <strong>Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low<\/strong>. This $200 performance basketball silhouette was rolled out in stylish purple &#8220;Michael Jackson&#8221; and monochrome &#8220;Beethoven&#8221; colorways that were just as fashionable as they were functional, then the design would later hit NIKEiD for customization.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Nike Kobe 9 Mid EXT<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Model:<\/strong> Nike Kobe 9 Mid EXT<br \/>\n<strong>Debut Date:<\/strong> August 23, 2014<br \/>\n<strong>Price:<\/strong> $225<\/p>\n<p>Finishing off the many faces of Kobe Bryant&#8217;s pioneering signature is this weekend&#8217;s release of the <strong>Nike Kobe 9 Mid EXT<\/strong>. Falling in-between the original skyscraping silhouette and the later low versions, this cut offers another lifestyle look of the model with top-shelf materials and a premium appearance. Meant for off-the-court wear, snakeskin scales pair with a reflective midsole and a gum bottom that costs as much as the original design. Is this the last look of the Nike Kobe 9? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"http:\/\/solecollector.com\/news\/nike-kobe-9-the-samples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sole Collector<\/a>, Kicks On Fire, <a href=\"http:\/\/sneakerbardetroit.com\/nike-kobe-9-elite-low-htm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sneaker Bar Detroit<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kobe Bryant&#8216;s ninth signature sneaker with Nike was a pioneer in a wave of ways, from its ultra-high silhouette to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4655,"featured_media":400383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1224791,1225493,1219126],"tags":[1203927,1215002,1216705,1218010,1217793],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.0 (Yoast SEO v24.0) - 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