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Ja Morant’s Nike Kobe 9 Elite Shoes

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It was December 29, 2020 and Ja Morant had just sprained his ankle against the Brooklyn Nets. To this point in his career, Ja was all about the high-heat Nike Basketball sneakers of the past, many of which were low-tops. A few days after his injury, Morant made a proclamation: high-tops only for the rest of the 2020-21 season.

Morant started this trend with the Nike Kobe 9 Elite high-tops.

This was the first Nike Basketball sneaker to feature Flyknit, which previously was reserved for running shoes from the Swoosh. A drop-in Lunarlon midsole was one of the few carryovers from the Kobe 8, helping provide a responsive and low-profile cushioning set-up. A pressure-mapped rubber outsole outsole provides traction in the shape of the contours of the human foot.

While there is discourse on high-tops preventing injuries, this shoe was interestingly Kobe Bryant’s post Achilles injury sneaker, adding symbolism for a Black Mamba fan like Morant.

Aside for the high-top, Ja also wore the leather Kobe 9 Mid EXT in 2021, with his black pair found HERE.

You can find the Nike Kobe 9 at StockX, GOAT, Stadium Goods, and Flight Club.

Here’s a throwback review of this shoe from the best performance reviewer on the internet, Chris at WearTesters:

Cover image via B/R Kicks

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