Nike and Kyrie Irving have done a phenomenal job of story telling with his signature line, from the "Dream" Kyrie 1 to the recently released "Little Mountain" Nike Kyrie 5 PE.
Today, Nike divulged more information about the light blue "Little Mountain" Kyrie 5s, which Irving recently laced up during the Celtics' 56-point win over the Chicago Bulls.
The shoe's tongue features a Standing Rock Sioux Tribal seal decal, a nod to Irving's late mother, Elizabeth Ann Larson, who was an enrolled member. "Little Mountain" appears on the toe box, which refers to the Lakota name officially bestowed to Irving in August by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
As of now it doesn't appear that the Nike Kyrie 5 "Little Mountain" PE will release, though it wouldn't surprise us if Nike sprung a surprise drop in the future.
If you're unfamiliar with Kyrie Irving's latest Nike silhouette, the kicks are highlighted by a new Nike Air Zoom unit engineered to help Kyrie play quicker and sharper, as well as a new Flywire system and traction pattern on the sole.
Benjamin Nethongkome, designer of the KYRIE 5, breaks down its three critical elements:
1. An articulated forefoot zoom bag This is a huge technological unlock for supporting guard play. Why? Because of its unique properties (see sidebar for more on this), the Air Zoom Turbo unit curves to wrap the bottom and sides of the foot. "In the Kyrie 5, it is distributed across the entire forefoot footbed, working with his quick-change-of-direction style of play. When he's banking, cutting, or attacking in drastic degrees, his foot will engage the Air Zoom Turbo unit providing responsiveness at all directions," explains Nethongkome.
2. A new containment system Inspired by a Venus Flytrap, this feature creates optimal containment above the Air Zoom Turbo unit. “The Flywire is arranged so that it locks the foot into the Air Zoom Turbo unit, and this amplifies the responsiveness of Zoom in the forefoot,” says Nethongkome. “We wanted it to be both beautiful and improve on fit and feel.”
3. A new traction pattern This draws direct inspiration from Irving. “The traction system for the KYRIE 5 creates stability through discreet geometries,” says Nethongkome. “Have you seen the Hamsa hand tattoo on his left arm? It's a symbol of protection for him, it kind of shields him from all the bad juju, and so it became the jump-off point for the shaping of the outsole patterns. He wants to have more than just a basketball shoe. And this allows us to apply more of his spirit throughout the shoe.”