If you approach Nike’s use of Champagne Papi in promoting the Slim Reaper’s latest, look to how sticky the KD “Purps” have become in the lexicon and on social media to see how their bet has paid off. Between the “candy paint” link to Durant’s current home, said Aubrey Graham wordplay, and a monochromatic offensive in all the colorways revealed so far, both athlete and sponsor have shown that beating Father Time isn’t just a matter of on-court performance; some of their most considered marketing work is coming in the Hall of Famer’s back nine.
Those shareable spots have started the Nike KD 19 era off with a bang, but the most wholehearted moment came over the weekend, as the man himself revealed the full breadth of his upcoming lineup. Arranging six pairs side-by-side, Durant doubled down on some already-seen fare: the debut red and orange, the “Purple Stuff,” the “Butter Candy.”
Catching our eye are the ones we’ve only seen teased briefly, with a Houston Hibbett throwdown providing our only looks at the black and green shown here. Each keeps to the flooded script of past pairs, and while neither has been assigned a kitschy moniker just yet, sour apple or licorice inspo seem like suitable jumping-off points.
Despite the lack of nicknames, we can confirm that the green and black are already on the schedule. The “Blueberry Blast,” not pictured here, is set for June 29th; the black is set for August 19th, while the green hits public hands on September 6th.
