Kevin Durant recently signed a lifetime deal with Nike where he now has 16 signature sneakers and counting. Durant is one of the rare athletes that have a lifetime deal which include Chicago Bulls Legend Micheal Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James, Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry and Portuguese Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
This article is an opinion based article, Durant has been my favorite basketball player since I was a kid. If it weren’t for Durant I wouldn’t be into sneakers. The KD 7 was the first shoe to get me into basketball sneaker so I had the wonderful opportunity of writing this article and ranking each KD silhouette. I am ranking the best Nike Kevin Durant sneakers based on sneaker design.
Number 1: Nike KD 4
The Nike KD 4 has some pretty legendary colorways and has been deemed one of Nikes best signature basketball shoes of all time. The KD 4 debuted in the 2011-12 NBA season and In terms of design which features a midfoot strap, a hyperfuse upper and a Zoom Air Unit. Personally, it was not my favorite designed KD sneaker of all time but the colorways really carried the silhouette and the performance was also very good due to the lockdown support. It was hard narrowing down the top 3 colorways, but only 3 made the list. Honorable mention the KD 4 “Nerf”.
KD 4 “Gold Medal”
KD 4 “Weatherman”
KD 4 “Aunt Pearl”
Number 2: Nike KD 7
The Nike KD 7 released during the 2014-15 NBA season. The Nike KD 7 was ahead of its time the sneaker featured hyperposite which was supposed to mold to the athletes foot and even had a visible Nike Zoom unit which wasn’t common in Nike Basketball sneakers at the time. The Nike KD 7 is my personal favorite sneaker of all time and was arguably one of the best designs in the KD line with so many unique little details. Picking 3 colorways for this one was also extremely difficult, but the KD 7 also had some underrated colorways. Unfortunately KD didn’t really lace up the KD 7s due to injury while it was unfortunate it still is my personal favorite KD shoe of all time.
KD 7 “Aunt Pearl”
KD 7 “BHM”
KD 7 “Gold Medal”
Number 3: Nike KD 15
Personally, it is one of my favorite KD sneakers of all time in terms of design. Performance wise my heel did slip out of the shoe frequently if I didn’t lace up my KD 15s tight enough. I wish the KD 15 was a high top or mid cut sneaker it would’ve been the best basketball sneaker in his line. There were a lot of solid colorways but I personally feel like the colorways could’ve been better but the player exclusive sneakers KD wore for the KD 15 were sensational especially the KD 15 “Off-White” inspired sneaker.
KD 15 “What The”
KD 15 Aunt Pearl”
KD 15 “Brooklyn Graffiti”
Number 4: Nike KD 14
My reasoning for the KD 14 being ranked so high is because I have seen a lot of basketball athletes lace up the KD 14 and have heard a lot of great things about them performance wise. I have never owned the KD 14 personally as it’s not my favorite designed KD sneaker but I was happy that they had brought back the strap on the 14 as it is one of my favorite elements from the KD Line. The colorways for the 14 were also underwhelming in my opinion but performance wise I spoke to a lot of athletes and they loved the KD 14 and labeled it as one of Durant’s best performance basketball sneakers.
KD 14 “Ky-Dream”
KD 14 “Sunset”
KD 14 “Aunt Pearl”
Number 5: Nike KD 3
The Nike KD 3 has recently been given the retro treatment which is actually called “Protro” by Nike. Again I never owned a pair of Nike KD 3s because I was so young at the time but design wise I fell in love with them due to the mid cut feeling and it was the first KD sneaker to have Nike flywire. The video game like buttons on the heel are such a nice design element which is why it ranks so high on my list and performance wise a lot of basketball athletes also loved this shoe.
KD 3 “Longhorns”
KD 3 “Christmas”
KD 3 “All-Star”
Number 6: Nike KD 5
The KD 5 was the first KD sneaker to be a high top. The colorways for the KD 5 were amazing which is why for me personally they rank so high, I have also had the opportunity to play basketball in these and my ankle felt so secure and traction was great. Nike also introduced the “Elite” KD 5 which was adding on extra tech to it later on in the year.
KD 5 “OKC”
KD 5 “BHM”
KD 5 “Extraterrestrial”
Number 7: Nike KD 9
The Nike KD 9 had a full length zoom unit and was in my opinion one of the best KD sneakers but the reason it’s ranked at number 7 is because there’s just so many great KD sneakers. Also performance wise while great on court, I had the chance to test these out personally and my ankle felt vulnerable but everything else was solid in terms of performance. The Heel had a nice little design element, referencing a camera lens which Durant loves photography so I thought that was a nice feature. The colorways for the KD 9 were solid but would have definitely been better. The KD 9 was released during Durant’s first year with the Golden State Warriors.
KD 9 “Unlimited”
KD 9 “USA”
KD 9 “Fire And Ice”
Number 8: Nike KD 12
Durant joined a New team ahead of the KD 12 launch and that team was the Brooklyn Nets. It was the first time Nike had stitched a full-length Air Zoom to an upper of a Nike basketball sneaker. Colorway wise I was underwhelmed with these and didn’t enjoy many colorways, but performance wise I did appreciate it being a mid cut sneaker and extra lateral movement protection.
KD 12 “Don C”
KD 12 “EYBL”
KD 12 “Aunt Pearl”
Number 9: Nike KD 10
The KD 10 in terms of design was very similar to the KD 9. The KD 10 marked the 10 year anniversary of Durant’s signature line with Nike. Durant won his second NBA Finals with the Warriors in the KD 10 and won the finals MVP. My favorite feature about this sneaker was the knitted upper, it felt comfortable to play in and the thick rope laces made the foot feel secure.
KD 10 “Finals”
KD 10 NikeLab “Olive”
KD 10 “Aunt Pearl”
Number 10: Nike KD 1
The Nike KD 1 is no doubt the most important sneaker in his signature line as it is the first shoe that kicked off his signature line. Durant was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics which then became the Oklahoma City Thunder. The KD 1 has always been a shoe I’ve wanted to own but have never been able to as it is hard to find a brand new pair in perfect condition in 2023. In terms of design it is very simplistic but also eye-catching and is one of the rare times the KD shoe has been a high top.
KD 1 “SuperSonics”
KD 1 “OKC” Home
KD 1 “OKC” Away
Number 11: Nike KD 6
The KD 6 was a little similar to the KD 7 in terms of design, the KD 6 reminded me of an indoor soccer shoe which I really enjoyed. The traction on the KD 6 was absolutely incredible despite it being a low top sneaker and a thin upper. I believe the KD 6 was underrated but my favorite feature was they had also introduced a lifestyle version of the Nike KD 6 to wear off court which is something I wish Nike would do more often.
KD 6 “BHM”
KD 6 “What The”
KD 6 “Aunt Pearl’
Number 12: Nike KD 13
The KD 13 is one of my favorite designed KD sneakers with little features hidden throughout the shoe like the number 7 near the front of the sneaker which was in reference to his jersey number in Brooklyn. Performance wise it was one of my favorites due to it being a mid cut sneaker and my ankle feeling protected. The outsole traction pattern had an octopus like design to it which was very amusing in my opinion.
KD 13 “Enspire”
KD 13 “Bred”
KD 13 “New Jersey Nets”
Number 13: Nike KD 16
The newest in line for the Durant signature line. I actually really love the KD 16 in terms of design, it has a futuristic feel to them in my opinion. Unfortunately these rank at 13 due to being a new sneaker and not much known about it on court. A lot of people hate the KD 16 because they feel like the predecessor was so great that the 16 should’ve been as well. But I really enjoy the design of the KD 16 and if you liked the KD 15 you’d enjoy the 16 due to upgraded features. There aren’t many KD colorways released yet but here are some KD concept Colorways thanks to sneakernerdsofl
KD 16 “The Valley”
KD 16 “Suns” Home
KD 16 “Suns” Away
Number 14: Nike KD 8
The Nike KD 8 was severely underrated, the saber tooth like design leading up to the heel was absolutely my favorite element of the sneaker. I had a few pairs of the KD 8s and I unfortunately rolled my ankle many times due to it being a low top but traction and durability weren’t an issue, but Nike did introduce the KD 8 “Elite” which was a high top but KD was later made fun of all over the internet due to his KD 8 elite high. I enjoyed the KD 8 as I believe it’s one of the most underrated KD sneakers.
KD 8 “Suit”
KD 8 “Bright Crimson”
KD 8 “Aunt Pearl”
Number 15: Nike KD 2
The Nike KD 2 introduced the strap for lockdown support which is my favorite feature of the KD 2. Although a great looking shoe and unfortunately ranked so low I just believe that the KD 2 cannot compete with some of the other KD signature sneakers out there. KD became the youngest scoring title champion in the KD 2.
KD 2 “Creamsicle”
KD 2 “Longhorns”
KD 2 “Supreme China Edition”
Number 16: Nike KD 11
The Nike KD 11 ranks at the bottom of my list in terms of design because it really felt uninspired and lacked the wow factor. I do love the knit upper and the sock like feel to it but the colorways on the Nike KD 11 weren’t amazing either and didn’t really release many colorways. Despite it being a good performance shoe just is not one of my favorite KD sneakers.
KD 11 “Multi-Color”
KD 11 “Aunt Pearl”
KD 11 “Paranoid”
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