Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 at 1:17 pm  |  39 responses

Kicks: Nike Zoom Kobe VII

The Black Mamba’s long-awaited new signature sneaker.

Via CounterKicks:

If you’ve been waiting to get a razor sharp view of the new Nike Zoom Kobe VII, your day has arrived. 16 photos of the next Kobe Bryant signature in a launch “inline” style have arrived. The images show off amenities like a Flywire support upper, external TPU heel counter, partial herringbone traction outsole, and a removable midsole with ankle sock support that adjusts in and out of the shoe.MarqueeSole is selling a few sizes early now if you want to pay for the privilege of getting the Kobe VII early.

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  • http://slamonline.com Bryan Crawford

    Money is no object…

  • rudy

    I kinda want those. A lot.

  • Red Star

    Mine!

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    Nice sandals in pic14. lol. The removable piece is going to be a hate or love thing I’m guessing…

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Still on the low tops I see. Yawn!!!!!

  • Jay Cutler

    Ewww

  • marc

    I don’t get how people ball in these. I broke my ankle in high tops so im definetly not taking a chance with these. People forget that kobe has layers of tape on his ankles. Unless your getting the same treat go for it. lol

  • http://@whogotjazz.twitter.com MIGZ

    dont like the low top idea but these would make an exception due to more support for your ankle, and i like how they created the sole wonder how light these are?

  • http://slamonline.com Bryan Crawford

    Been hooping in Kobe V’s and VI’s (no tape) for a couple of years now with ZERO ankle problems and I’ve had bad ankles since HS. High tops are the absolute worst because they tend to cause a lot of ankle sprains. It’s a myth that they prevent them.

  • Ansonpanson

    Cosign Bryan.
    High tops=more weight=tired legs/ankles/feet= higher chance of injury

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    @Bryan. I’ve had a pair of Nike Air Huarache Elite TB’s for awhile now and haven’t had any problems with them (knock on wood). I think those can classify as mids or highs. But I’ve also had a bad history with ankle problems since HS. I haven’t tried the Kobe’s yet but contrary to popular belief, the Kobe’s DO provide excellent Heel ankle support. You can tell by how solid the back portion of the shoe is. Basically, your heel won’t experience unnecessary movement leading to injuries. Sorry for babbling but what I’m trying to say is, it doesn’t matter if its high, mid, or lows, as long as you have a high performance shoe that fits your playing style, you should be okay.

  • http://www.bocajuniors.com liam

    Can you wear them without the ankle thingy? Or are they unusable once you remove it?

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    liam, I believe those are the removable portion of the shoe.

  • http://slamonline.com Bryan Crawford

    @niQ: I’ve had 3 *really* bad ankle injuries in my life. All were in shoes that covered my ankle and all 3 happened when I was wearing Jordan’s. So while I’d like to agree with your initial statement, unless J’s doesn’t qualify as a “high performance” shoe, I respectfully cannot do so.

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    Damn, which J’s were you wearing if you don’t mind me asking?

  • jayb

    cud be cheap year for me.these look hideous..i hope these are the dream seasons..no way i would pay $130 for these let alone $150 or up…Real talk!!!

  • ai come back

    these are seriously ugly

  • kh

    hmmmm…these could be interesting

  • Galagu

    oh solid these shoes come with socks.

  • 23

    Without the sleeve, it looks like you have no tongue…. am I wrong?

  • Shaquille

    seriously love the new kobes. Die hard fan!!!! the old ones never gave me problems i do love the removable ankle support

  • http://www.fiba.com Darksaber

    Hmm, earlier comment didn’t post so here i go again:
    Foot stability is not affected by low or hightops. After my worst ankle injury back in 2000, i saw a doc who referred me to adidas. There they measured my walk etc and i got insoles that were tailored to me.
    Ankle sprains since then (all while wearing Shox and all 3 Hyperdunks): zero.
    A lot depends on how your foot rests in the shoes.

  • ghettablaster

    nice but don’t like the ankle thing

  • Brandon

    You can see inspiration from the Jordan 7 on the design of the soles.

  • mike

    finally nike made something nice. the last snake kobes were stupid

  • Armando

    @23.. struck me aswell… anyway, looks good, outsole reminds me somewhat of those early 90s air flights.

  • Armando

    The Nike Air Flight Maestro 1992 is the best sneaker I’ve worn, they were just so…snug and light at the time..: http://hiddencrate.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/memory-lane-pt-6-nike-air-maestro-flight-1992/
    Some of the same principles (sock, lightweight, “angular” patterns, only 19 years ago…)

  • Niio

    It’s actually a more severe ankle sprain when you wear high tops because you are unable to “roll” your ankle at the joint because of how high your shoes are. Instead you suffer the “high ankle” sprain which is much more painful and takes much longer to recover from. I’ve balled in the last 2 Kobe Lows and haven’t had any problems at all.

  • da real

    looking forward to Nike iD option of these

  • tony scorpio

    Quite interested in the lateral support from side2side…best performance shoe lebron5s. Proper fit, great ankle support & gave me awesome balance support for jumpers. I understand where kobes been going with the soccer-type shoe, but we don’t play on grass, nor do we play in cleats.

  • http://www.twitter.com/dfrance21 dfrance21

    I can’t bring myself to play in low cut sneakers, but judging by how A LOT of the league hoops in low cut shoes, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no reason to believe they put you at a higher risk for an ankle injury. Sam Cassell hooped in low tops before it was popular, so did Steve Nash. And a ton of dudes wear the Kobes now. I think it’s really a matter of luck and your body type.

  • dennis

    I never had ankle problems until I wore my kobe v’s. 12 years playing high-level sports. First time I had a sprain took me 1 month to recover on crutches. I thought it was a fluke and started playing basketball with the kobe v’s, I sprained it again right after. Maybe it was bad luck, but I am staying away from low tops..

  • Armando

    I’ve had my share of ankle sparins and switched to low tops last year, not going back.

  • Jt

    I changed over to Kobe IV and have the Kobe VI now have not had one problem with my ankles since I made the switch. Only problem is they are lighter than some of my other ballin shoes so now I only wear Kobe’s….

  • http://www.idnikeshoes.com kobe vii

    i think this is much better than kobe vi

  • low n high

    everyone who is worried about low top kicks needs to stop. i’m gonna say what a bunch of others have said… it doesn’t matter if you’re wearing high tops, mids, or lows, you can still roll your ankle. just strengthen your ankles. wearing an ankle brace doesn’t help as much as you think it does. it makes your ankles dependent on the support of the brace, therefore making it weaker. if you put a running shoe next to the kobe’s, you’ll see that the ankle support is much better. if you’re gonna roll you’re ankle… you’re gonna roll your ankle, doesn’t matter if your shoes are high tops, mids, or “low” (the kobe’s aren’t really that low).

    sorry for the little rant, but it’s not the kobe’s are as low as running shoes

  • Barr1722

    I have had ankle problems since high school and have always worn Jordans. When I was younger i recovered sooner. Last injury was really bad and actually tore my ankle ligament and had to get screws put in.I am 6’0 200 lbs so am not a skinny kid. I decided to try the Barkleys because i figured he was a bigger guy so his shoes should work for me. They were better than the Jordans so started playing in them but they were heavy and clunky and I feklt slow. I decided to try the Kobe IV and wow!!!! I started playing like I was 10 years younger. So I bought the Kobe V same thing and I know play in the Kobe VI. So I will definitely buy the VII!!! I have like 300 pairs of shoes and still love J’s and rock them but would only play in the Kobes.

  • http://www.facebook.com/#!/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    FREAKIN SICK

  • Rip Hamilton

    Dear all,

    These shoes may look nice at first, maybe even unreal;however, ankle injuries will pile up for the rest of your lives if injured wearing these. I strongly advise everyone to take that into consideration before buying the shoes.

    Thanks- Rip

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