Jayson Tatum's New Jordan Signature Sneaker Is Lean, Mean, and Minty Green

It was a Monday night in November, and Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics were struggling mightily against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Down 15 and without momentum, the team looked tired, and their six-game winning streak appeared all but over. Tatum, the C's four-time All-Star, couldn’t buy a bucket, and by the end of the third quarter, Boston seemed ready to quit.

Then the team turned it on in the fourth, and rocketed back with a 37-point quarter to take the W.

“Ultimately, just find a way to win—that’s what’s most important,” Tatum said after the game. “So at the end of the night, look up and if we won, you know I’m satisfied.”

That dogged intensity, that desire to find a way no matter what, is at the heart of Tatum’s game, which has turned him into one of the most dominant players in the NBA. It’s also at the heart of his new signature shoe, the Tatum 2, which Tatum will debut today—during the Celtics' Christmas Day matchup with the Lakers—before it lands in stores later this season. “Find a Way” was the philosophy of the shoe’s design, embodied in the resilient construction and agile, super-efficient build. It’s so much a part of the Tatum 2’s identity, in fact, that those three key words are literally embossed right on the sneaker.

Tatum signed a deal with Nike back in 2019, and last February he launched his first-ever signature shoe with Jordan, the acclaimed Tatum 1. Ultralight but durable, it was designed to meet the star forward’s desire for the shoe to feel connected to his foot as he’s wearing it. The Tatum 2 builds on this idea and expands the approach, furthering the lightweight mesh-forward construction and bolstering support with gum rubber in the high-demand traction areas of the frame. It’s smoother and more consistent than the Tatum 1, dialing in the little efficiencies that reduce a sensation of lag while pivoting.

Catering to Tatum’s style of play, the Tatum 2 prioritizes freshness, lightness, and energy return, making it an ideal shoe for hoopers who want a bit more bounce and feedback on the court. Although Jordan Brand acknowledges that it may not have the ruggedness of the most street-ready basketball shoes, the build's inherent airiness feels truer to the spirit of Tatum’s game.

The design team has said they’ve learned more about Tatum as a player and as a personality since they started working with him, and that deeper knowledge has come through in the more expressive design of the Tatum 2. They learned to find every little improvement they could over the first shoe, and to make whatever adjustments were necessary—not just to see how to make a better shoe, but to find a way to get it done. Just like Tatum.

The Tatum 2 drops from Jordan Brand in March 2024.

Originally Appeared on GQ