The New Balance Kawhi 2 is a huge improvement on Kawhi’s first signatur shoe. Right out of the box they feel comfortable and plush underfoot. The shoe features a thick rubber outsole (that will hold up well outdoors), a springy torsional shank plate, Fuel Cell foam for cushioning, and an updated version of New Balance’s Fit Weave along the upper. On top of all that, this iteration of the Fuel Cell foam seems to be denser and softer than the fuel cell we saw in the New Balance Omnis 1.
The Kawhi is a divisive model. It is a solid performance shoe with features you have to like a lot. If you enjoy support and traction, these guys just might be for you. The cushion wasn’t anything to write home about, just an average impact-protecting foam compound. The best feature of the shoe would easily have to be the support. They are bulky and chunky, reminiscent of 90’s model. The Kawhi feels like a shoe geared towards bigger players that put a beating on their footwear.
The Kawhi dropped in 2020, but they became his go-to model during the 2020-2021 season. The Klaw had a great season on a personal level, during a disappointing season for the Clippers. Kawhi averaged almost 25 ppg, 5.2 apg, and 6.5 rbpg, all while turning in another All-NBA level defensive season. He was named to the all-star team and to the all-NBA first team.
The New Balance Kawhi wasn’t a gigantic hit in the basketball market, nor on the NBA hardwood, but we did see several excellent colorways of the shoe over the season. In particular the Jolly Rancher and the Santa Klaws / Snowman colorways were equal parts attractive and hilarious. If you missed the detail of the serious expression on the Jolly Rancher fruits on the logo, you are missing out.
The OMN1S was the first New Balance Model Kawhi strapped on. They were not technically a signature model, but Kawhi was the center of the marketing campaign. The OMN1S was a great performance model, excelling in almost every aspect. In particular, the OMN1S offered amazing traction.
In his first season as a Clipper Kawahi didnt disappoint. He turned in a massive 2019-2020 season. He was able to rack up a whopping 27 ppg, 7.1 rbpg and almost 5 apg all while shooting over 50% from the field and 88% from the stripe. He was also named to the all-NBA second team and the all-Defensive second team as well and took home the NBA all-star MVP as a cherry on top.
Kawhi had debuted the New Balance OMN1S the year before during the playoffs on his way to claiming his second NBA title, and second NBA finals MVP. It was one of the years top-performing shoes and there were a couple of really cool colorways, as well as a low top version that was seen across the NBA.