John Kim 
Proper support starts from the ground up. The lockdown fit and all the advanced materials engineered for an upper construction don’t serve much of a purpose if the traction pattern on the sole doesn’t grip properly to the court or pavement. Nike has over four decades of research and development dedicated to creating the best soles in the business, and over the years we’ve seen quite a number of different approaches to the various surfaces that the game of basketball is played on.
You have the Air Raid, which is “For Outdoor Use Only” and the much more recent Hyperfuse from 2010, which offered a tougher sole to withstand the outdoor hooping in China. These concepts were incepted with real-world observance of the game; Tinker and Mark Smith designed the Air Raid sole while watching some NYC streetball, and Leo Chang doctored the Kyrie 1 sole to fit the multi-directional (and seemingly unlimited) lateral movements of Irving’s legs. Get a look at some of the history of Nike outsoles below and check out the full feature here.
