New Balance reveals Kawhi Leonard’s next colorway of his signature shoe, the KAWHI Seismic MOMENT. The latest color was first worn by Kawhi during the 2020 NBA All-Star Game where he captured the KIA NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award. The shoe draws inspiration from the earthquake that hit the Los Angeles-area on the same day he signed with LA Clippers, sending shockwaves across the league and forever changing the NBA landscape.
Designed in consultation with Kawhi, the KAWHI Seismic Moment is built around his power and versatility. It features Kawhi specific design elements like corn-row inspired embossing on the collar strap, his accolades on the top of the tongue, eyelets that resemble his 1964 classic car and a quilted heel tab that also pays homage to his classic ride. The heel also features an M and the latitude and longitude coordinates that locate the center of Moreno Valley, CA, Kawhi’s hometown. The KAWHI Seismic Moment sole unit sports a Richter scale design, in reference to the 7.1 earthquake that occurred on the same day Kawhi made his decision to go to the LA Clippers.
The KAWHI can be used on and off court, packing in performance tech like the FuelCell midsole, providing the ultimate energy return and support to stay explosive throughout the game. A full-length performance plate, a first for New Balance, is designed specifically for Kawhi’s cutting, jumping and stability in mind. The upper is engineered with Kinetic Stich, a data-driven thread application for tuned upper lock down and support where players need it most.
“Kawhi wanted to honor his hometown and the monumental decision to come home and play there,” explained Jonathan Grondin, New Balance’s Design Director for Basketball. “We used the earthquake to drive the design, even looking to the shake map for the sole unit. Kawhi’s decision to come home shook the hoops world and this design pays homage to that important moment.”
New Balance PERFORMANCE MORE Marathon Running Shoes Sneakers MMORBL2 Release Date
Look for the entire New Balance “Seismic Moment” collection to release on November 11th at select retailers and NewBalance.com. The 327 and the KAWHI will retail for $90 and $160 USD, respectively.
Release Date: November 11, 2020
Price: $160
Release Date: November 11, 2020
Price: $90
