In May, we caught up with Kevin Durant as he celebrated the release of his tenth signature shoe with Nike, the KD10. Now, four months later, KD and Nike are making sneaker history with the latest colorway. The KD10 "Numbers", a tribute to the Warriors' "Strength In Numbers" mantra, is the first Nike Basketball signature shoe to feature a team logo.
We asked Kevin how it feels to make history, be inspired by the Bay Area, have Nike become the official jersey sponsor of the NBA, and pay homage to "The Town."
(warriors.com)
So, how does it feel knowing that your signature shoe is the first one to have a team and NBA logo on it?
It's pretty sweet. Once the league got the Nike deal I was excited that we would be able to bring some cool stuff to the floor through my shoes. I'm definitely excited for these Strength In Numbers to drop. I'm looking forward to the reaction to the stuff we drop all year; not just for me, but for all Nike athletes.
What does Strength In Numbers mean to you?
It means that you can't win anything, you can't be successful unless you have a great team around you – a great group of people that you rely on, that you learn from. You know, we've got a number of those guys in this organization, so definitely that's what it means to me when it comes to Strength In Numbers.
Is there any specific reason for the design – a white shoe with blue and gold accents?
The white is just a classic look and we wanted to go with something vintage but new. It gives it a flare of being a home game shoe, but then you find the small details in the shoe that give it color and flavor, and swag. So, it’s a cool dynamic.
(warriors.com)
If you could put a personal Kevin Durant mantra on a shoe, what would you pick?
Just have fun. That’s always one of the things I try to preach to myself. Sometimes I tend to think too much and take the fun out of it. So, just write "have fun" on the side of my shoes and live by those words.
Last time we talked, I asked if there was any inspiration from the Bay for the KD 11...
This is home now. I'm sure I'll be using a lot of inspiration throughout the Bay Area to bring life to my shoes, and represent where I play and where I live right now. You never know. There might be some cool activations with the fans that have helped me bring out the kicks, especially with the new Nike NBA Connected Jerseys. I'm looking forward to maybe doing something with that throughout the Bay Area, throughout Oakland and San Francisco just doing some drops here and there. The opportunities are kind of limitless and I'm just trying to use them the best way possible.
How excited are you that Nike is now the official jersey and apparel sponsor?
So excited. Swoosh belongs in the NBA so to see every player wear the swoosh on their jerseys, their shorts, socks, warmups – it just makes me happy. Nike has come a long way and now they're doing it the right way; taking over football, basketball in two major sports. That's huge.
As one of the faces of Nike, Durant has been busy this preseason.
On September 15, Nike and the NBA officially launched their partnership by unveiling new Statement Edition uniforms for every team. One of the strongest declarations was made by the Warriors, who honor their heritage and history in Oakland with "The Town" proudly displayed above a new team crest, which employs Oakland's family Oaktree.
Durant was the star of the show, modeling the Warriors' new alternate threads, which he can’t wait to wear on the court. Yes, the uniforms look incredible, but for the team it is more than a jersey – it's a statement that Oakland will forever be part of the Golden State Warriors.
"Man, just being a player and playing against this team I always knew coming into Oakland every game – and now being a part of this organization and this community driving through Oakland to go to the games every day – you know how tight the community is with this team," Durant said. "The fact that we play in Oakland, everywhere I go there are so many fans from Oakland around the country, they're just so excited about the Warriors. It's good that we get to recognize them, show them that we care and appreciate them. We wouldn't have won the championship without them. We wouldn't be successful without them. I'm glad we pay homage to them."
