Not Your Average Review: KYRIE 1

Last week, Nike released Kyrie Iriving's first signature, the Nike Kyrie 1.   This made him the twentieth signature athlete for Nike, preceded by Kevin Durant.  Prior to these shoes Kyrie wore the Nike Hyperdunks as well as the Nike HyperRev. The Kyrie 1 has a similar shape to the Nike Kobe IV, and is a lower shoe compared to the sneakers Irving was previously wearing.

I have two measurements for analyzing basketball shoes, and use a combination of them when deciding which kicks to purchase.

Performance:

I will not  expand too far on this scale, because I have yet to wear these shoes, or see them in physical form.  One thing that I am really excited for is the extended outsole tread onto the side of the sneaker.  This feature is one that I have wished for in many of my own performance shoes, and should allow for quicker movements on the floor.

Style:

If I were to turn a Velociraptor into a basketball shoe, it would be the Kyrie 1.  This was my immediate thought when seeing these kicks for the first time.  As I continue to look at these sneakers, the more dinosaur-like attributes appear; the zig-zag pattern on the outsole, structure of the heel, and mesh overlay.  I am not sure if Velociraptors are good at basketball, but if they played they would probably think their brothers had been murdered and processed into these shoes.

Overall Opinion:

I would maybe customize these shoes for performance only; the extra cost would be worth it.  Nike's current colorways look childish and should not be worn in any causal setting unless you are in the fifth grade, really love Velociraptors, or are a huge Kyrie Irving fan.  I look forward to seeing the future colorways and designs of this signature.  Hopefully these shoes will evolve into something that lasts, rather than going extinct like its close relative.