A Complete History of Kevin Durant's Signature Sneakers

Released: 7/3/2013

The Nike KD VI once again takes the path less traveled and designer Leo Chang worked his magic to take the model up a notch for the upcoming season. The new KD VI sports an updated design that favors a soccer shoe, but retains the Air Max and Zoom that KD loves so much in his signature shoe. Inspired by a watch, the KD VI is focused more on the details and refining key sections to help make KD a better player. One such area was the tongue which seems to veer off to the side, which it does, but it does so to delete layers and prevent the tongue from sliding around. If you are looking to get your hands on the KD VI, the first colorway will make its way to Nike retailers on July 3.

Released: 4/27/2013

Nike—and the rest of basketball community, for that matter—had high hopes for Kevin Durant in the 2012-2013 post season, and to cap it off, Nike added the KD V to the Elite series. However, unlike with the LeBron James and Kobe Bryant signature sneakers that were updated, the look and feel of the KD V was completely changed. The high-cut ankle was removed and the shoe seemed to be elongated just a bit for KD's playoff run. Add in a taste of carbon fiber for lightweight stability and a caged Zoom Air unit in the heel for responsive cushioning, and you have a shoe fit for the playoffs.

Released: All-Star 2013

All-Star 2013 was hosted by the beautiful city of Houston and Nike once again leaned heavily on the NASA program to bring the All-Star version of the KD V to life. With such a lush palette to pull from, Nike went with an extraterrestrial theme for the KD V and a "Dark Matter" pseudonym. Green was the color of choice for the upper and orange accents helped tone down the overall design and bring the "Dark Matter" theme to life.

Released: 12/8/2012

With the KD V, Nike began to tell stories more tied to KD's roots, starting with a Maryland colorway inspired by the the state flag. With a pronounced heel cup, the addition of Air Max in the heel, and the high-top cut, the KD V would stand as the first radical departure from the KD signature line. Hyperfuse was used to provide a lightweight, yet durable upper, and the external heel counter helped to tell the story of KD's hometown. Like the two previous models, Nike made the KD V available on NIKEiD which helped spur plenty of interest from the custom community. Though Nike didn't go as wild on the KD V as they did on the KD IV, there were still a few notable makeups such as the Christmas, N7, Easter, and Splatter colorways.

Released: All-Star 2012

The growing love for the KD signature line happened just as the love for sneakers was growing exponentially and Nike capitalized on that fact with the launch of the All-Star "Galaxy" Pack. For the KD IV, the color designers dressed the model in a mostly silver upper with several details that highlighted his reign as the H.O.R.S.E champion. The Galaxy theme was the perfect complement for the Orlando setting and provided a different look for the KD IV.

Released: 12/3/2011

If there was ever a shoe that changed the way people looked at a line of sneakers, the Nike KD IV was the one. Nike let the color designers go crazy on this model and brought us both the "Nerf" and "Weatherman" version of the shoe. Like the KD III, the KD IV was also available via NIKEiD which allowed customizers to go absolutely crazy making look-a-like and original takes on the moderately priced performance sneaker. Introduced originally in a black/blue/orange colorway, the KD IV saw the return of the midfoot strap for lock down and also kept the same Zoom cushioning that KD loves. From China, to the Olympics, to the gold medal, KD's signature line was officially here and making major noise.

Released: All-Star 2011

In 2011, Kevin Durant made his first start in the NBA All-Star game and Nike went with a tried and true red to match the Western Conference All Star jerseys. The model rocked a red upper from head to toe, with just a taste of black on the midsole and around the white Nike Swoosh. Another thing to note about the KD III was that the strap introduced on the KD II was gone. Little did we know it would soon be making a return.

Released: 12/26/2010

By the time the Nike KD III rolled around, it was clear that Kevin Durant was a bona-fide star and Nike was starting to tell more stories about the big man. Leo Chang, the designer of the entire KD line, actually took to Facebook to announce some of the design inspiration behind the shoe, including the five thunderbolts that represented his teammates, and the fact that KD also allowed his teammates to help him design the shoe. Finally, the KD III made its way to NIKEiD which spawned all sorts of colorways of the performance sneaker. The KD III also happened to be the shoe that KD wore when he scored 66 at Rucker Park during the NBA lockout.

Released: All-Star 2010

For the All Star Game in 2010, Nike pulled out all the stops to grab the attention of sneakerheads. Of course, the red and black color combo is classic but it was the details of the Nike KD II All Star that set it apart. 3M covered the upper of this KD II and the outsole was reworked in a translucent finish. Performance wise, the Nike KD II has been hailed as one of the best in his line; even to this day.

Released: 2/6/2010

For the Nike KD II, the brand waited until February of 2010 before we actually got a good look at the shoe. Oddly enough, it was the KD II "All-Star" or Supreme that really got people going, but we will reserve that one for the next slide. On the GR side, we saw a few colorways that worked well in the OKC colors and saw Nike introduce the midfoot strap to the line which really flourished on the KD IV. Like the previous models, Nike kept Zoom Air for the cushioning and Kevin kept improving his game. So much so, that we saw the first KD "Scoring Title" silhouette.

Released: All-Star Weekend 2009

In addition to crushing it during the season, Kevin Durant took his skills to All-Star Weekend in 2009 with a special orange/black colorway of the KD I. Now we can't say it was only the shoes, but he did happen to win the the H-O-R-S-E competition and score 46 points in the Rising Star Challenge

Released: 2/7/2009

Serving as an introduction to a player who would become of the best players in the league, Nike and Leo Chang went to work on the Nike KD I. Designed with KD's perimeter game in mind, the model rocked an XDR outsole and Zoom Air cushioning. Though prices have crept up over the years, the KD I was hailed for its performance and it lower-than-usual price point. As far as colorways go, the most popular were the white and black OKC-flavored designs.