Kobe 8 ‘Mambacurial’ (KICKS)

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The Kobe 8 Mambacurial isn’t like most basketball shoes. Nike pays tribute to Kobe’s love of soccer with a shoe inspired by the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX football boot. How did Nike fuse basketball performance and soccer inspiration? Check out the details:

The KOBE 8 MAMBACURIAL fuses key design attributes of basketball and soccer shoe uppers and includes a number details borrowed from the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX. The striking Fireberry colorway is taken straight from the soccer boot and applied to the Nike Engineered Mesh upper of the latest Kobe Bryant signature shoe. Oversized white “NIKE” script appears on the medial side of each shoe, and an electric-lime Swoosh shifts from the side to just over the toe. “Mambacurial” is notated on the backside of the tongue, and the upper rests atop a grass graphic and translucent green rubber outsole.

“Soccer boot design has influenced my shoe in the past but the KOBE 8 MAMBACURIAL brings it full circle,” Bryant says. “It’s great to see powerful design come together across sports.”

Kobe Bryant and Nike Basketball give basketball fans the chance to familiarize themselves with soccer inspiration with the KOBE 8 MAMBACURIAL. The shoe is now available at select retailers globally and at nike.com. In North America, the shoe will be available June 7.

Images via Nike, Inc.