In 2011, the NBA went 161 days without playing a game as the League’s fourth-ever lockout persisted from July 1st to December 8th.
While the owners and Players Association battled back and forth over the harshness of the new luxury and salary cap, the League’s hundreds of hoopers were itching to keep their games sharp and their hunger for high octane competition satiated. While they ignited crowds at indoor and outdoor runs that began sprouting up across the country, Nike settled on developing the storylines of their athletes’ colorways to align with a personal connection.
While the lockout allowed players to imagine their lives outside of the League’s day-to-day, the Swoosh jumped on the opportunity to ask their signature athletes what they envisioned for themselves if the situation continued.
For a 23 year old lanky superstar residing in Oklahoma City – who was seen running QB in a 7-on game against LeBron James that Summer – his secondary career choice was tracking weather patterns and reporting the latest to thousands of viewers in a button down and tie as a weatherman.
Durant’s fourth signature silhouette – the KD IV – captivated both the sneaker and hoops community with its bold forefoot strap and bountiful colorful combinations. Coming off two-straight scoring titles while upholding a globally popular line – not to mention a potential Finals appearance not too far off in the horizon – Nike utilized the KD IV as a springboard to set the precedent for drawing personal inspiration into the colorway of their performance basketball sneaks.
Offering some of the cleanest color palette clashes of the year, the KD IV Weatherman solidified the model as a performance classic for the brand while providing his fans with a peak behind the veil of the seemingly quiet and nonchalant Seat Pleasant native.
With his fascination for meteorology in mind, lead designer for Durant’s brand, Leo Chang and co. dawned the exterior in a bold emerald green as an homage to the green screens tv meteorologists utilize, while a temperature map and elevation lines wrap along the upper heel and tongue above an all-black midsole.
Like any 2010’s signature sneaker, the extravagant details are hidden in plain sight with the models translucent outsoles featuring thermo-mapped scans of Durant’s footprint, using bright red tones to outline his feets’ pressure points.
From Montrez Harrell, to Tyrese Haliburton, to PJ Washington, to LaMelo Ball, to Ja Morant and PJ Tucker, the Weatherman’s have stood the test of time as an on-court grail for today’s NBA athletes with ageless innovations like Adaptive Fit and Zoom Air.
One question sprung during a period of uncertainty turned the basketball sneaker ecosystem on its head, introducing one of the most sought after kicks of the decade while simultaneously rewriting the book on the connections companies draw between their products, consumers and athletes.
@randomsneakerpage We headed to the 2000’s soon. #fyp #kd #nike #weatherman #foryoupage #sneakerhead #basketball #kickslookback #kd4 ♬ original sound – randomsneakerpage