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Fresh off the release of ICEMAN (and MAID OF HONOUR and HABTITI), Drake continues his return to the public eye by starring in a hilarious new commercial for the Nike KD 19, Kevin Durant’s latest signature basketball shoe.
Posted on Drake’s Instagram with the caption “Normalize glazing the bros,” the clip features KD and Drake in a locker room as Durant shows the Canadian rapper his new shoes. However, Durant doesn’t reveal the KD 19 right away, instead jokingly presenting some questionable footwear designs that Drake hypes up anyway, playing the role of the ultimate yes man.
After showing Drake a cowboy boot Air Force 1 (shout-out to 0831am) and a hairy “Abominable Snowman”-looking sneaker, Durant finally reveals a icy blue colorway of the KD 19, which he calls the “Candies.”
The commercial also serves as a teaser for the upcoming NOCTA x KD collaboration. Drake is seen wearing a jersey from the collection inspired by Durant’s senior high school jersey from Montrose Christian School in Maryland. The jersey features “Montrose Christian” branding with most of the letters removed, leaving behind the N-O-C-T-A to spell out NOCTA.
The collection is also expected to include multiple colorways of the KD 19 (purple and orange samples pictured below) and a photo tee featuring Kevin Durant’s 2003 Myspace profile picture, showing him holding cash in one hand while throwing up the deuces with the other.
Drake and Kevin Durant share one of the most prominent, long-standing friendships in sports and music. The Canadian rapper has name-dropped KD on tracks such as 2016’s “Weston Road Flows” and more recently on “Q&A” off of MAID OF HONOUR (“Me and KD got way too much cheese”). The two even have tattoos dedicated to each other. Durant’s old jersey number “35” is tattooed on Drake’s arm, while Durant has the word “Owls” tattooed in reference to Drake’s OVO label.
The NBA star’s 19th signature shoe features an exterior TPU dagger on the side panels that calls to mind Durant’s “Slim Reaper” persona. Underfoot sits a multilayer cushioning system built around the return of a full-length Zoom Strobel, first introduced in the KD12, and a plush Cushlon 3.0 midsole.
Launch colorways of the Nike KD19 include the “University Red” pair that Durant debuted on-court back in March, as well as a “Purple Stuff” colorway inspired by the purple drank associated with Houston’s “chopped and screwed” sound.
The Nike KD19 drops June 13th exclusively on SNKRS ahead of its global launch on June 17th via nike.com and select retailers. The NOCTA collab is slated to drop later this year. Check out the launch colorways below.
Nike KD 19 “University Red”
Color: University Red/University Gold-Stadium Green
Style Code: IH1117-600
Release Date: June 13, 2026 (SNKRS)
Release Date: June 17, 2026 (Global)
Price: $155 USD
Nike KD 19 “Purple Stuff”
Color: Field Purple/Stadium Green-University Gold
Style Code: IH1117-500
Release Date: June 13, 2026 (SNKRS)
Release Date: June 17, 2026 (Global)
Price: $155 USD
Photos via sameoldseth:
