Once upon a time – back in 2016, to be exact – Nike essentially teased the idea of “smart” athletic shoes that would lace themselves up via technology. It was a strange, exciting idea, but the issue was that the shoes were going to cost $720. As more than a few people pointed out in the thick of what was a widespread negative reaction, having your laces tied up for you wasn’t exactly worth that kind of price tag.
Now, however, Nike has resurrected the idea, and all of a sudden the shoes are right in front of us. Specifically, Nike has put forth a similar shoe that will sell for $350, which is still a steep price but far easier to manage than the previous $720, and not that much more than some of the high-end athletic shoes that people are already buying.
But what, exactly, justifies even a $350 pair of Nikes? That’s ultimately for the consumer market to decide, as people will either buy this shoe or leave it on the shelves. As for what this release is all about though, it’s actually a very cool, very interesting shoe.
Called the Nike Adapt BB, this new release is a self-lacing basketball shoe equipped with its own accompanying app and a wireless connection. The main capability of the tech aspect of the Adapt BB is that the app controls the fit, and looking at things this way you can begin to see the this is meant to be more than a tech gimmick. Says Nike, the goal is to provide a “truly customized fit for every basketball player.” The company specifically explains that over the course of a game, a player’s foot can expand by close to half a size, which means the Adapt BB is not just meant for establishing a fit, but also for helping with in-game adjustments.
The Adapt BB’s app will also allow players to change the color of the LED lights that are visible on each shoe, which is a just-for-fun feature, but one with some very fun style implications. We can already imagine different players around the NBA and college basketball adjusting these colors to match their teams’ uniforms. Additionally, the wireless nature of the shoes will reportedly allow them to receive firmware updates, such that there could be (and almost certainly will be) additional features added in the future.
The shoes are being made available to the public in early February, but have already gotten a nice rollout via some prominent figures in basketball. Jayson Tatum, a second-year player for the Boston Celtics and someone widely viewed as a rising star in the NBA, was the first to showcase the Adapt BBs, even though they are not a “signature shoe” for him. Tatum has earned himself a fairly big spotlight in just his second season, and despite a few ups and downs for the Celtics, the bookmakers still indicate that they’re a solid bet for the long term. This is to say they’ll probably be playing deep into the playoffs, giving people a nice long look at these new Nikes.
Tatum won’t be alone among NBA stars wearing the Adapt BBs though, and there will likely be a fairly widespread college rollout as well. The Duke men’s basketball program – one of the most prominent sponsored by Nike – has been hinting at players wearing the new shoes via its social media channels. And other prominent Nike schools like Kentucky and Oregon will likely be on board in short time as well. Simply put, Nike is going to make very sure that these shoes aren’t just on shelves and written up as unusual tech-apparel hybrids; they’re going to put them in front of us on very visible (and very talented) basketball players.
So, what do you think? Does Nike have a hit on its hands, or is this going to be a passing fad?
