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Just in time for his return to the NBA court is Kyrie Irving‘s Nike KYRIE 2. The Cleveland Cavalier point guard’s latest signature sneaker has been crafted to compliment has array of crossovers, pull up jumpers and dashes to the bucket.

On his crossover, says Nike Basketball:

Pushing off the court with 770 pounds of force at a sharp 40-degree angle, Irving can experience four g’s of acceleration during the crossover. (To put this number in perspective, that’s a g-force greater than the average astronaut experiences during a rocket launch). In other words: Irving needs footwear that performs under extreme pressure.

After continuously observing Irving’s ability to position his body in such low angles that the sides of his shoes engaged the floor, Nike introduced a curved bottom surface of the midsole and outsole. The rounded geometry positioned at the medial heel and across the metatarsals heads allow Irving to redistribute his weight and cut on a dime, without slapping his foot to the court and decreasing his power output.

On his pull-up J:

When you have that much momentum and abruptly stop — according to Newton’s first law — your body wants to continue its forward motion, unless acted upon by an external force. That’s where the KYRIE 2’s traction pattern and strapping system (which wraps over the top of the foot, instead of around the ankle) comes into play.

 “The strap is designed to suck your heel back into the shoe and keeps it secure, whether you’re accelerating or decelerating,” says [Nike designer Leo Chang]. Similar to how a boxer doesn’t want his hand to move inside the glove when it hits his opponent, Irving’s feet should feel snug when they reconnect with the ground. 

Zoom Air in the heel is also utilized to transition Irving faster from heel to toe during acceleration while also providing impact protection during deceleration.

On getting to the bucket.

The new outsole traction pattern, enveloping the forefoot sidewalls and spanning the entire bottom surface of the KYRIE 2, offers dynamic traction when Irving is attacking at all angles, adds the designer.

Since Irving is applying force to hardwood (a mass too great for a player to move), the floor will provide an equal and opposite reaction – so corroborates Newton’s third law – and propel him forward. Responsive cushioning in the midsole makes for a fast first step, while a large pivot circle on the forefoot of the sneaker allows Irving to pivot, switch directions, pull off those signature spins and effectively put the defender in the blender. 

The Nike Kyrie 2 is already available on NIKEiD (for a healthy $165) while the Effect colorway will drops in December 15 followed by the Inferno colorway on January 1.

Check out detailed images of the Inferno version below and on the following pages.

Photo: Nike Basketball

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