National Basketball Association

Kevin Durant's newest sneakers from Nike go all the way up to his knees

Published Mar. 24, 2016 6:42 p.m. ET

Brett Pollakoff

Nike unveiled its latest signature sneaker for Kevin Durant at an event in New York City last week, but Durant won't be lacing up the KD9 until he plays for Team USA at the Rio Olympics this summer.

As he gets ready for the Thunder's run through the NBA playoffs, Durant will be wearing the KD8 Elite, an interesting-looking model which features a calf-length compression sock as part of its design.

As part of an interview session with a small group of reporters, Nike designer Leo Chang said that an even bolder version would be on the way -- and it appears as though that time is upon us.

Kevin Durant wearing the original version of the KD8 Elite, that went up almost to his knee: pic.twitter.com/Bc67x3pALC
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) March 24, 2016

"There’s one he’s actually going to wear that goes all the way up to his knees," Chang promised. "That’ll be pretty cool. Just from a product standpoint, we’re looking on how to blend the tight that he normally wears, in sock or shoe.

"What if we were to literally integrate all that together into one product, so that it almost feels seamless where you don’t know where the next layer starts? That was the idea behind that, to push for something more futuristic."

Durant admitted that the shoe's unique construction takes a bit more time to put on. But he likes the look, and loves the performance.

"Pregame I’m usually quick with putting my sneakers and stuff on, it takes me a couple of extra minutes to slip in the shoes,” Durant said with a laugh. “But they’ve been great, man. They feel great, they play well, and they look great to me.”