Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 11:11 am  |  41 responses

Nike Zoom Kobe V Premiere: Los Angeles

Even lower and lighter than its predecessor, the Nike Zoom Kobe V keeps shoes—and Kobe—moving forward.

by Russ Bengtson

I’ll have much more on this later in the week, but for now, a brief introduction. Nike was kind enough to fly SLAM (along with a select group of national and international media) to Los Angeles for the introduction of Kobe Bryant’s latest on-court shoe, the Nike Air Zoom Kobe V. It was presented on the floor of the old Forum by Kobe himself, along with designer Eric Avar and senior researcher Matt Nurse.

Lower and lighter than the Zoom Kobe IV, the Zoom Kobe V is Nike’s lightest basketball shoe ever. It weighs in at just 10.6 ounces for a mens size nine, thanks to new materials, including a super-thin, mostly one-piece TPU upper, as well as a minimalist outsole. More telling, it doesn’t FEEL like a basketball shoe.  Designed with soccer boots in mind, the sleek lowcut has all the heft of a high-end running shoe. Otherwise, much carries over from the previous model—Zoom Air cushioning front and rear, Flywire support on the sides, and extra support (and design elements) provided by heat-bonded overlays. “Kobe wanted the lowest, lightest basketball shoe ever,” says Avar. “That happened to coincide with my own philosophy, but I didn’t tell him that.”

We’ll give you a complete rundown on the trip later—it’s 7:25 a.m. here in Santa Monica and there’s still more to come—but for now, here’s some new photos of the ZK5 from the event. What’s with the grass, you ask? Check back soon.


zoom kobe V



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  • James the balla Posted: Dec.9 at 11:14 am
    yes sir!!!

  • Myles Brown Posted: Dec.9 at 11:18 am
    Bring me a pair back or dont come back at all.

  • doom Posted: Dec.9 at 11:22 am
    Ugh those things are UGLY

  • TheChamps Posted: Dec.9 at 11:23 am
    These are nice! Can’t wait to see the white ones though.

  • Brad Long Posted: Dec.9 at 11:26 am
    I just hope Russ doesn’t Tonya Harding Andrew Bynum while he’s in L.A. to keep him out of the ASG.

  • rob Posted: Dec.9 at 11:35 am
    shoes look very similar to last years

  • Foobar Posted: Dec.9 at 12:02 pm
    White and gold colors would be awesome.

  • Ben Osborne Posted: Dec.9 at 12:36 pm
    Gorgeous shoes. Thanks Russ.

  • SLAM ONLINE | » Hot Topics Posted: Dec.9 at 12:39 pm
    [...] Russ Debuts Kobe’s Kicks [...]

  • Yesse Posted: Dec.9 at 12:41 pm
    IV looks alot better.Those are just like a copy of some ugly lacoste shoes with different colors.

  • don Posted: Dec.9 at 1:36 pm
    uh, no. won’t wear low-cuts again.

  • San Dova Posted: Dec.9 at 1:38 pm
    Good preview and a very good look. The only thing is that the new Zoom Kobe didn’t carry over the forefoot Zoom Air from the old one (that’s new, actually)–the ZKIV actually uses the LunarLite foam, which is no longer in the new Zoom Kobe V.

  • larrylegend Posted: Dec.9 at 1:50 pm
    NO MORE LOW/MID CUTS!!!!! this is basketball!

  • TADOne Posted: Dec.9 at 1:53 pm
    I’ll take two In-N-Out burgers, please. Thanks.

  • Nike Zoom Kobe V Premiere: Los Angeles | article, Digg, from-the-event, introduction, kicks, latest-on-court, men, new-materials, own-philosophy, santa-monica, Science, trip, twitter, zoom | Ads News Posted: Dec.9 at 2:02 pm
    [...] the original: Nike Zoom Kobe V Premiere: Los Angeles Share and [...]

  • Lee Posted: Dec.9 at 2:09 pm
    “Why the grass?” Because these shoes are actually…. football cleats!!! Dun dun dunnnnn

  • Airswade Posted: Dec.9 at 2:36 pm
    AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!

  • LA Huey Posted: Dec.9 at 3:01 pm
    more like a ZK4.1

  • Th3_R3al_Chris Posted: Dec.9 at 3:26 pm
    Brad just showed his age with that reference.

  • The blue man Posted: Dec.9 at 4:01 pm
    THEY IIGHT BUT IV ARE BETTER

  • John D Posted: Dec.9 at 4:20 pm
    San Dova is right. The ZKIV didn’t have Zoom in the forefoot, unfortunately. That’s the only reason I didn’t get a pair. I HATE Lunar Foam.

  • Sparker Posted: Dec.9 at 4:30 pm
    if elton john hooped

  • Eliass Posted: Dec.9 at 4:33 pm
    Those look almost exactly the same as Koba 4. I bet Kobe didn’t even want new shoes. Busines.

  • PREVIEW: Check out Kobe Bryant's Nike Air Zoom Kobe V | 3XGP.COM is all about MUSIC-FASHION-SPORTS-GOSSIP - Updated Daily Posted: Dec.9 at 5:55 pm
    [...] The Zoom Kobe V is Nike’s lighest shoe ever. share this story now: [...]

  • Andrew Posted: Dec.9 at 6:16 pm
    Larrylegend, yr an idiot. High cuts are as necessary in basketball as fur lined jerseys. Strengthen your ankles through training, don’t rely on Hi-tops to do it.

  • lakeshow24 Posted: Dec.9 at 6:19 pm
    different views would be nice… est. price?

  • J Posted: Dec.9 at 11:04 pm
    it’s not much of a jump from the IV. looks like a low cut of hyperdunk 2k10. not bad but the IV looks way better and looks lighter. i think i have to look at it more often to appreciate its beauty just like what i did to the IV(every home edition of that shoe looks great). the kobe IV is what i think the best kicks last year. but for this year i think its the Air Max LeBron 7 who gets the nod. from looks, to design, to innovation, everything. i think the LeBron VII is the best shoes this season.

  • larrylegend Posted: Dec.10 at 5:09 am
    @ andrew: if i am an idiot, f u! i still wear the kobe II, http://www.kobebryantshoes.com/shoes/nike_zoom_kobe_ii_shoes1c.jpg, one of the best shoes i ever owned. so my wish was nike would stick to the concept of high tops with the kobes! or have you ever seen mj with mid/low cuts in games!?! maybe he had weak ankles? but i can’t tape my ankles for every game/training so i need shoes to be light, and at the same time, giving me enough support to bang in the post.

  • stokesey Posted: Dec.10 at 5:53 am
    awesome, cant wait for these to drop

  • rhs Posted: Dec.10 at 6:59 am
    that purple glittery sh8t on the forefoot kills the look…

  • ab_40 Posted: Dec.12 at 5:52 am
    so it’s running shoes with kobe bryant his name on it there fore nike can sell these at $150,- haha. smart folks at nike

  • Alister Posted: Jan.14 at 3:04 am
    I’ve always used high tops… And i’ve always spraighned my ankles! I’ll give em a go and can’t wait to see how light they are!

  • r1k2 Posted: Jan.24 at 7:52 pm
    I just bought a pair of 3.5 Kobe V for my son. I noticed the tongues were different. They were samples and had a stamp on the inside, “SAMPLE , property of Nike”. So I took them back were I bought them. The store let my son pick out any Jordans (for free) and are gonna get him his Kobe’s. Did I do the right thing or should I have kept the samples. Any info would be appreciated, thanks.

  • Doc Wray Posted: Feb.11 at 8:52 pm
    Actually r1k2 it really would depend on the condition of the shoes when you bought them and if you were looking at them as a Memorabilia or collectors item or for wearing! Most likely because of the “SAMPLE” and “property of Nike” if you could have gotten them autographed they would double the value to a collector! If you are just looking for your son to wear them! You got a free pair of Jordans and another pair of Kobe V’s! I would say you made a good deal!

  • tim Posted: Feb.13 at 11:18 am
    genuis this is a shoe thatis great for all levels this is the type of shoe meant for first step blowby being so light, exactly kobe’s & jordan style of play

  • lafinest Posted: Feb.15 at 12:37 am
    lightest shoe ive ever put on and just as comfortbale as anything i have ever worn.

  • lafinest Posted: Feb.15 at 12:37 am
    lightest shoe ive ever put on and just as comfortbale as anything i have ever worn.

  • Kobe V’s…Duke Style « Duke Blue Planet BLOG Posted: Feb.18 at 7:36 pm
    [...] Kobe’s version of Nike’s lightest basketball shoe ever made was released in December and the Laker superstar stated at the time, “I wanted to push the envelope with a shoe that meets the demands of my style of play.  The Kobe V is lighter, lower and more stable.” [...]

  • idanielliao Posted: Feb.22 at 10:40 am
    the Nike Kobe V will be high popular in year 2010

  • mikeezy Posted: Mar.31 at 2:02 am
    these kicks came out waayy to quickly

  • zoso Posted: Jul.27 at 4:41 pm
    Those are amazingly tacky.

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