Kyle Kuzma doesn’t just play for the same Los Angeles Lakers franchise his idol Kobe Bryant did, but the young forward regularly pays homage to the five-time champion by wearing a shoe from his signature line with Nike.
But Kuzma has temporarily sidelined the Kobe models in favor of the recently unveiled Nike Adapt BB. The brand first released an automatic/powered lacing system in 2016 with the Nike MAG Back To the Future and HyperAdapt 1.0.
“It’s super dope,” Kuzma told LakersNation.com of the Nike Adapt BB. “There’s no laces, it’s super grip, kind of feels like a Kobe shoe. I love it. You don’t really worry about it falling off your foot or anything, because there’s no laces. It’s awesome.”
Kuzma has scored 32 points and pulled down eight rebounds in each of the past two games while wearing the innovative shoe.
The Nike Adapt platform integrates a custom motor and gear train that senses tension needed by the foot and adjusts the fit accordingly to keep a player’s foot snug.
“We picked basketball as the first sport for Nike Adapt intentionally because of the demands that athletes put on their shoes,” Nike VP Creative Director of Innovation Eric Avar said.
“During a normal basketball game the athlete’s foot changes and the ability to quickly change your fit by loosening your shoe to increase blood flow and then tighten again for performance is a key element that we believe will improve the athlete’s experience.”
The Nike Adapt fit can be adjusted via an app or manually. The shoe features a capability for LED lights on the midsole to change colors, though the NBA doesn’t permit them to be lit when on court during games.
The Nike Adapt BB is due to release Sunday, Feb. 17, at a $350 suggested retail price.
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