What the Mamba wants, the Mamba gets. This edition of the "20 Designs That Changed The Game" series covers the Nike Zoom Kobe IV. Upon joining Nike, Kobe Bryant pushed for breakthrough performance with every pair he laced up. When going about the fourth iteration in his signature line, Kobe asked for one thing: Less. A big fan of soccer, Bryant noticed that footballers made many quick cuts, but their footwear echoed a minimalist theme. He wanted to introduce that theory to a basketball shoe. The ZKIV birthed a low-cut, supportive design incorporating Flywire as the foundation. Now that the Mamba shed his skin, he could slither to basket at will. [via Nike, Inc.]
