4 Ever: Looking Back at the Return of the Iconic Nike KD 4 in Retro Form

This story appears in SLAM KICKS 27. Get your copy here.

It was everything we could have dreamed of. One by one, the 2024 NBA All-Stars from the East and West made their way from the tunnel to the court. It was February 18, 2024. Everybody was suited in their best. The King debuted a hybrid Nike LeBron 21 fused with Deion Sanders’ monochrome Nike Air DT Max. Stephen Curry was rocking his titular Curry 4 Low FloTro. The digs were clean. And then a metallic finish gleamed under the lights of Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Draped in the game’s half-red, half-blue striped warm-ups, Kevin Durant sent everyone—including us—into a fever pitch. The litany of social media posts that followed echoed the culture-shaking moments from the heyday of NikeTalk. Bright orange Swooshes stamped at the strap and the medial heel. A faint baby blue speckling littering the jet-black midsole that reflected the depths of deep space. A translucent, glow-in-the-dark outsole sitting just below. And under the hood, a picturesque galaxy of stars, big bangs and wormholes extending across the insoles.

For the first time since 2012, Kevin Durant was wearing the KD 4. And this wasn’t like him kicking it in a pair of Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 OG Lows from his beloved rotation. The two-time NBA champ was dropping buckets in the Zoom-cushioned silhouette just like he did 12 years prior.

For the entirety of the first half, we got to watch KD play in what’s continuously heralded as the best sneaker in his lengthy signature discography. We literally witnessed history repeat itself in real time. Top of the key threes, alley-oop reverse lays and no-look assists on the perimeter. Different jersey, different city and a few more grays in the beard, but the kicks stayed the exact same.

We’re serious, the exact same. Kevin Durant’s retro run is precisely that: a retro. This isn’t the same ethos that surrounds Kobe Bryant’s Protro pairs that have been retooled for the modern game. The 4s have the same smooth TPU strap, full-length Zoom Air bag and monomesh midfoot windows that Leo Chang masterfully cobbled together out in Beaverton.

On a hallowed night in Orlando over a decade ago, the world watched a 23-year-old Durant stamp his unyielding love for the game in his third-ever All-Star appearance. Thirty-six points, 7 boards, 3 dots and 3 steals = MVP. Fast forward 12 years, and the sneaker wasn’t just laced on KD’s feet as he poured in a surgically efficient 18 points; it also lay in a shielded display case at CORPORATE on McCrea St.

Everyone knows about the different hallmark moments in the NBA season. But for the sneaker brands, All-Star Weekend is the epicenter of the year. Budgets are allocated, plans are set in place and venues are booked months and months in advance. In-person activations are the name of the game, marrying newly released products with experiential moments. Customizable gear is like its own currency. Then there are the true sneakerheads, who are are searching through pop-up stores and local boutiques for the holy grail of the weekend.

This past February out in Indianapolis, everyone was hunting for the pair Durant would famously wear a few days later.

The tonal beige and brown “Year of the Dragon 2.0” colorway may have officially kicked off the silhouette’s revival in early February, but the “Galaxy” was the first original colorway from that iconic 2011-12 run that the Swoosh brought back to market. A shock drop on February 15 set the stage for the return of the community’s favorite ensembles.

Just as we spoke it into existence last year in KICKS 26, Nike wasn’t hanging it up like they
did with the 2018 release of the KD 4 “Thunderstruck” after Durant and the Warriors claimed the title. The Swoosh combed through the catalog and hand-selected the best of the best. Nothing but haymakers for months.

In late May, we were blessed with the topographical “Weatherman” joints as images of cargo pants and color-coordinated tees screamed of a bygone era. By the time you have this magazine in your hands, what some consider the most acclaimed colorway of Durant’s 17 signature sneakers will have returned, with the aesthetic of rubber-tipped bullets and plastic magazines. The KD 4 “Nerf” is upon us. And while it won’t be packaged in the same square box that held a cardboard mini hoop and foam basketball, those same pops of deep blue, gray, orange and volt will be transporting everyone back to memories of denting the closet door with All-Star-caliber dunk contests in their childhood bedrooms.

The releases have been timely yet staggered, allowing more than enough breathing room between each drop to reignite the deep-rooted passion that exists for that midfoot strap. Nike knows they’ve got us in a vice grip. It’s why they’re reportedly set to close out the 4s retro run with a duo of bangers, the copper and black “Christmas” colorway and the heart-tugging “Aunt Pearl” rendition—the first of a now 13-silhouette-strong series dedicated to KD’s late aunt.

The past seven months have been a bunch of nostalgia-induced trips down memory lane. We’ve been living in the parallel reality that we dreamed about just a few years ago. It’s back on the streets, on the courts and in closets all around the world. Lucky for us, the story of the 4 continues.

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Photos via Getty Images and Nike.