Kevin Durant’s long-running signature line has been a stalwart fixture of Nike’s basketball division since 2008, with the latest model—the streamlined KD 16—landing on our list of the best hoops shoes of 2023.
But while recent editions of the sneaker have maintained a high standard, most fans are in agreement that the KD line peaked with the KD 4, the fourth-generation sneaker featuring Zoom Air cushioning and a Hyperfuse upper released in 2011. The KD 4 continues to be a staple of both basketball courts and streetwear wardrobes, and Nike has finally been recognizing its enduring popularity by bringing out some very cool and much-appreciated retro releases.
The best and most anticipated among them is the KD 4 “Galaxy,” which is set to release on February 15—just in time for the NBA All Star Weekend in Indianapolis, which promises to be KD’s long-overdue return to the All-Star Game after missing it repeatedly due to injury. The iconic sneaker, long a fan favorite, looks pretty much exactly as we remember it: cool gray upper, oversized leather lockdown strap, colorful outer space-themed interior, and, coolest of all, a translucent green sole that glows in the dark. (You may recall that last feature from your Instagram grid circa 2012—get ready to see it a whole lot again.)
The “Galaxy” version of the KD 4 was first released during All Star Weekend in 2012, when the festivities were held in Orlando. It was that city’s famed Kennedy Space Center that served as inspiration for the shoe’s galactic aesthetic, which was also represented on a number of other high-profile Nike Basketball releases at that time, including the Nike LeBron 9 “Big Bang” and the enormously popular “Galaxy” Foamposite. The NASA patch on the KD 4’s tongue and the speckled white on black heel really drive home the homage, which is admittedly less Interstellar and more elementary school space-themed photo day background. We mean that as a major compliment—this was a great shoe when it first dropped in 2012 and is just as out of this world more than ten years later.
The Nike KD 4 “Galaxy” drops at Nike on February 15 at 10AM EST for $130.
