(PROCESS)[AN EVOLUTIONARY REVOLUTION]

In 2008, I decided I wanted my next signature sneaker to be a low top. When I told Nike that, at first they said no. I responded, “You can’t say no. Phil Knight’s mantra was ‘Listen to the voice of the athlete.’ I’m the athlete, and I want a low-cut shoe.”

I got the idea from watching futbol. Those guys put even more torque on their ankles and lower legs than basketball players, and they were wearing boots cut even lower than our sneakers. I realized if they could do it, we for sure could. And we did.

The Kobe IV changed the game. I remember having to go in front of Foot Locker and pitch them on the Kobe IV, because they weren’t sure how to sell it. It was past time for the change, though. The fallacy of a high top was that players believed it protected your ankles. In actuality, it weakens them and saps mobility.