Nike’s latest basketball sneaker release wants to shift away from a “one for all” model and tailor sneakers more towards specific elements of the game. Signature sneakers get this kind of care, as they are made to work with the specific athlete the shoe is named for, but the non-signature releases have often looked to serve a much wider and more diverse group of players.
With their new Greater Than (GT) series, Nike is refining the technology in each of their sneakers to benefit players based on what they require more out of a shoe, based on three key elements of movement — Run, Cut, and Jump. Each of the three sneakers in the Air Zoom GT series is made to maximize the comfort and functionality based on which of those elements defines a player’s game.
From left to right, you have the Air Zoom GT Cut, Air Zoom GT Run, and Air Zoom GT Jump, each constructed with cushioning technology in the midsole to provide the most comfort, stability, and support for that element. The Cut is a lower profile sneaker with a stabilizing unit on the outside, a full length Zoom Air strobel (the part stitched to the upper) and and additional Zoom Air unit in the heel. The Run features full length Nike React as well as a Zoom Air strobel and Zoom Air unit in the toe for more cushioning on the balls of the feet. The Jump, unsurprisingly, has full length Zoom Air in the strobel and units in both the forefoot and heel for added bounce, as well as a Jumpwire upper.
Two players who were heavily involved in the creation of the Cut sneaker were Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu and Kings star De’Aaron Fox, with Ionescu noting before the design team got to work that she felt there wasn’t a shoe that met her needs both in wanting a lightweight sneaker for speed while also delivering comfort.
The Air Zoom GT Cut, pictured above, will be the first to release in April (a firm date is still TBD), with the Run releasing summer 2021, and the Jump after that.