Frozen Moment

KICKS

Purposeful

KEVIN DURANT made it clear that his 15th signature silhouette has a singular responsibility—help him hoop at the highest level in the world.

H E R E A R E T W O T H I N G S

Tthat should stick in the memory banks about Kevin Durant. The first is that he legitimately loves hoop. The second is that he’s always trying to learn more.

The first sounds like a given—he’s been in the NBA for almost half of his life. Duh, of course he loves hoop. Right? But not every ballplayer loves hoop. Passion’s been the special ingredient in the mixture of his seven-foot frame, his intellect, his desire and his skills. That’s where the separation has been from the rest of the pack.

Because he loves it all so much, he’s acutely aware of how his sneakers inform his game. That’s where his appetite for learning comes in. The KD15’s production process was about studying the past, learning from it and weaving that knowledge into a new silhouette.

When the two-time champ requested a lower cut for his 15th pair, he and lead designer Ben Nethongkome hit up the archives and found inspiration in 2001’s Nike Air Jet Flight, a low model that was worn by Steve Nash, among others. He used that pair and the KD4 and KD6 as examples of how much closer he wants to be to the court now that he’s 15 looks in.

Plan in place, Nethongkome and his squad got to work and answered Durant’s question about how they could vary materials even while losing height. The heel’s 3D-molded counter leads right into the midfoot’s TPU cage, giving way to an upper whose layers have been reduced from the 14. The 15’s foundation is a fulllength Cushlon midsole that’s combined with a Zoom Air Strobel footbed.

It’s a technological diversion from the 12, 13 and 14, which is exactly what Durant wanted. He debuted the 15 in the Nets’ unexpected sweep at the hands of the Celtics. But what’s left to be expected is that No. 7 will learn from his mistakes and get straight back to hooping next season with the 15 on his feet. —Max Resetar

Good Looks

Cameron Look’s story is so amazing that it might not seem true. But the facts is the facts and the fact is that the famous basketball photographer now has his own AIR JORDAN 36 LOW colorway.

H E W O R D I S R A R E .

TGetting a credential to photograph an NBA game from the sideline.

Rare.

Pulling up on Jayson Tatum.

Rare.

Knowing beforehand which pair of sneakers Tatum’s gonna be rocking.

Rare.

Knowing that those sneakers are the colorway that you personally designed in collaboration with Jordan Brand.

Rare.

Fantasy?

Nah.

Reality.

Cameron Look’s reality.

Look, part of the SLAM Fam for years now, has worked to become one of modern day basketball’s preeminent photographers. He’s shot for us at NBA games, he chronicles high school hoops

ip-hop references have

Hpermeated the pages of SLAM since our premier issue hit newsstands back in ’94, from cover lines, spine lines and story titles to Drake being the first rapper on the cover (SLAM 198). But

Issue 214 was something different.

Back when old guys like me used to go to physical stores to buy music, album covers meant everything. We would flip through CD racks and search for the joints that weren’t just what the billboard charts told us were hot. Where the opportunity to listen before you buy was often scarce, a project would be judged by its artwork instead of its content. Records that consistently stood out more than the rest were usually the work of Shawn Brauch, founder and head designer of Pen & Pixel.

His distinctive style characterized the style of hip-hop coming out of the south.

The designs were bold and flamboyant and captured the themes being communicated through the music, namely: women, cars and bling.

When DeMarcus Cousins joined Anthony Davis in New Orleans in early 2018, something of that southern exuberance felt like it was being recaptured. The South had something to say and pulling Pen & Pixel out of retirement was the perfect way to express it. The cover of SLAM 214 stood out on newsstands (like they usually do!) in the same way Cash Money and No Limit Records did in the year 2000. It was the perfect way to celebrate this collaboration of premier big men.

As fate would have it, Cousins tore his Achilles the day after this cover came out and the duo never quite brought what the city was hoping for. Even so, this remains one of our most iconic covers. Kevin Durant even crowned it his favorite in a recent interview.

The Boogie and AD link-up may not have created historic basketball

and he’s forged relationships with both the O’Neal and James families, where he’s documented their past few trips around the sun, both on and off the court.

His Air Jordan 36 Low colorway is just the latest realization of his work, joining his archives of flicks and the stable of basketballs he’s designed. The greenbased 36s are inspired by boba tea. Its influence is seen on the outsole, the tongue and the upper of Look’s design. He included a premium quilted collar and his personal logo peeks out on the lateral side’s tag.

Look is proudly sharing his moment with all the other Asian-Americans out there who didn’t think it’d be possible to live a reality like this.

He wants them to know that it’s not just a fantasy, that some day soon the rarity will become normalcy. —MR

@SLAMARCHIVE

SLAM 214

March/April 2018

memories on the court, but it did produce what is arguably one of our greatest covers of all time. I’m still waiting on the mixtape... —Sammy Gunnell

BRING BG HOME.

D.O.N. ISSUE #3