Kobe 9 Shoes: KRM EXT 'Black Mamba' Release Date, Photos, Price & Where to Buy

Kobe Bryant's brand of footwear is not planning to let this year go without a final hurrah, releasing on the last day of 2014 the Kobe 9 KRM EXT "Black Mamba" for $275 a pair.

"All Black. All Mamba," said Nike.com, which will carry the new Kobe 9 species beginning 8 a.m. EST (5 a.m. PST), with a ceiling of one pair per customer. "The Kobe 9 continues to stretch the imagination, taking its heightened innovation from the court to the community with a Mamba-centric lifestyle feel."

Foot Locker Unlocked reported that at the same time as the Nike website, Footlocker.com will carry the model. Hoops by Foot Locker stores will also display the shoes on their racks. Visit their Lauch Locator.

According to the explanatory piece on the brand website, the new colorway is an embodiment of the ferocious alter ego Bryant carries when on court. Black Mamba is his moniker, referring to a fast and highly venomous snake.

Uncrate said the ninth edition of Kobe's signature Nike mold is the first to materialize the nickname, with the black-on-black color choice. The colorway carries a uniqueness in that sense, Hi Consumption said.

The model can be ordered on Uncrate and also on Rock City Kicks, although with limited stocks only.

The shoe sports a scaly black outer skin, with the patterns compressed into the materials used, said the Nike.com article. The leather material is premium, the all-out black broken by chrome detailing on the midsole.

The Bryant emblem is silver on the premium-leather tongue. It is also placed as a relief on the outsole. The Swoosh is absent.

The model has Flywire technology. Thus, there are strategically placed filaments for maximum support and stability. Its Lunarlon cushioning, a revolutionary foaming technology, improves cushioning.

"...[T]his blacked-out version of the Kobe 9 EXT features a synthetic black mamba skin upper with textured leather wrapping the ankle," said Sneaker News. Waxed shoelaces, still in black, add a high-end flavor, it added.

It's a "sinister" new look, the report said, agreeing that the shoe carries a reptilian texture reminiscent of the Kobe 6.

"Nike saved the best for last," said The Awesomer, which also sells the product. However, some commenters on Sneaker News prefer the "Red Mamba" more.

Nice Kicks said the Kobe 9 EXT series began because "Kobe is a fan of high fashion including high fashion sneakers" but the market lacked comfortable variants and pairs in size 14. With Nike Kobe 9 EXT came a mid-cut model, and the Kobe 9 KRM EXT in the high-cut option came later.

Hi Consumption observed that Bryant's footwear has been on a lively improvement process even as his team has been wallowing in losses in the NBA.

"The Los Angeles Lakers aren't off to a great start this year, but the Kobe show must go on," it said.