Jordan Brand will release Jayson Tatum’s second signature shoe on March 5 (Momma’s Boy colorway) and April 4 (Vortex colorway, in full family sizing).
Derek Foster, senior product line manager at Jordan Brand, said of the NBA’s Boston Celtics forward player, Jayson Tatum,
“One quality that Tatum deserves a ton of credit for is his durability.”
The Tatum 2 is a full-length Nike Air Strobel unit, which helps cushion impact from explosive movements.
“Jayson is one of the best two-way players in the league with a high usage rate, so he needs a long-lasting ride to help keep him fresh for the long season,” said Bryant Klug, Expert Footwear Designer at Jordan Brand. “That’s what the Air Strobel does so well. The smooth heel-to-toe transition is also a key feature of the Air Strobel, which fits with Jayson’s priority to wear a shoe that moves as one with his foot.”
The shoe’s upper features a series of large foam and textile pods placed around areas of the foot that experience high pressure when playing basketball. The foam frame surrounding the pods wraps high, helping stabilize the foot during multidirectional movement without limiting mobility or feel.
“We were inspired by Jayson’s calmness in clutch situations and sought to bring to life that ‘no pressure’ feeling and deliver it to anyone who wears the Tatum 2,” continued Klug.
Underfoot, the outsole, which features a modified herringbone traction pattern, is reductive in weight but with more coverage areas where athletes need it most. The Tatum line remains the lightest in the Jordan Brand performance portfolio.
“This second shoe represents evolution and how much I’ve grown as a player,” commented Tatum. “I’m always building on my skills so I can be better than who I was yesterday. I hope consumers appreciate how much we put into this one.”
Like the Tatum 1, the kid’s version of the Tatum 2 includes a collapsible tailgate on the heel, as Tatum wanted a shoe that was easy for kids to get in and out of.
In partnership with the Jordan Brand design team, Tatum helped influence a kids-specific design that uses an innovative injected TPU tailgate system to help with easy entry.
Photos courtesy Nike/Jordan Brand, NBA