Now that Kobe Bryant himself has started rocking the Nike Zoom Kobe IV on court, many are in anticipation of when these low-top sneakers will hit retailers near them. If you are one of these people, then today we will bring you a pleasant surprise. Eastbay has started taking orders for the “Carpe Diem” colorway of the ZKIV and will start shipping out beginning on January 17, 2009. It is a bit unusual for Eastbay to put a sneaker on their site that they are not ready to ship out fairly quickly, but this might be a pleasant surpise for those wanting to reserve their pair right now.

Low-top models are starting to emerge more and more as time goes on and most NBA players agree that the cut of the sneaker does not alter the chances of one’s ankles to be rolled, tweaked, or broken. Nike enhances the Zoom Kobe IV’s low-cut finish with flywire technology and LunarLite foam which help add support while minimizing weight. To top all that off, Nike has included their patented Zoom Air unit under the heel to give the user an even better basketball experience. Though we have heard that Nike Zoom Kobe IV is lighter in weight than its high-top counterpart, the Nike Hyperunk, Eastbay has it listed at 15.0 oz., 2.1 ounces heavier than the Hyperdunk. It could just be a simple mistake and we will surely keep you updated on it. Thanks to John Lyon for the heads up.

Click to Purchase at Eastbay.com

After debuting the Nike Zoom Kobe IV (4) “Venom” in his last game, Kobe Bryant is back at it again and is rocking a new colorway of the Nike ZKIV this time. This colorway seems to be extremely similar to the Carpe Diem colorway of the Nike Zoom Kobe IV which is set to drop on January 17th, 2009. On another note, Kobe Bryant has seen much personal success while rocking his new low-top sneaker which is exhibited by the 41 points Kobe dropped against the Orlando Magic last night. As for the Los Angeles Lakers as a team, they are 0-2 since Kobe has started wearing his newest signature sneaker on the courts. Will Kobe continue to rock the Nike Zoom Kobe IV? Will the L.A. Lakers continue to lose? Stay tuned for the next installment of “On Court” to find out. Pics via Yahoo Sports.