Kawhi Leonard and the updated Kawhi IV signature basketball shoe from New Balance
The end of the NBA’s regular season is just the start of something fresh for New Balance basketball. The brand announced the April 25 release of the Kawhi IV signature shoe, debuting in two colorways meant to provide an updated aesthetic to go along with technological advancements.
Two-time NBA champion and six-time All Star Kawhi Leonard signed with New Balance in 2018, becoming the brand’s face of basketball upon its return to the sport. Since that time, he’s helped the Boston-based company reenter the basketball market and his Kawhi signature model has served as the pinnacle sneaker for the brand on the hardwood.
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The release of the Kawhi IV is meant to offer the technology of the brand’s lead basketball sneaker but with an updated aesthetic designed to appeal to both on-court fans and lifestyle-focused wearers.
The New Balance Kawhi IV Transcend the Game signature basketball shoe.
“Launching the Kawhi IV toward the end of the 2024 season is really special and I am excited to launch it with New Balance,” Leonard says. “Working with the design team on the new colorways of the Kawhi IV allow me to show fans a different side of me and my game.”
The shoe launches in the Transcend Reality and Transcend the Game colorways. The Transcend Reality design is inspired by old-school gamer graphics. The Transcend the Game design features retro red, white and black colors meant to show how Leonard’s paying style fits in any era of basketball. New Balance says to expect a mix of new colorways launching throughout the playoffs and into the summer.
“The design team at New Balance updated the tech but also added some fun details from the lifestyle side of the brand,” Leonard says.
The New Balance Kawhi IV Transcend the Reality signature sneaker.
Since offering the brand’s first foray into the modern game in 2019, New Balance has grown with four key models in the basketball lineup. The Kawhi signature shoe, though, remains the only signature model for the brand in basketball and highlights some of the brand’s key materials.
On the technology side, the model features the Energy Arc technology that combines a basketball-specific carbon fiber plate geometry with strategic midsole voids. This paring, along with the brand’s FuelCell cushioning in the midsole, is meant to promote energy return. The low-top silhouette also features a lightweight mesh upper and synthetic overlays for lateral support. A TPU heel cage and cable-loop speed lacing add to the design.
“Working with Kawhi on the Kawhi IV has been incredible and I am excited to get this model out to consumers,” says Austin Jermacans, senior product designer for New Balance basketball. “The Kawhi IV is crafted with the latest New Balance technology to support Kawhi’s aggressive play and will help elevate any player’s game.”
