Power-Forward? Power-Guard?
Zion Williamson’s Jordan Zion 1 Is For All Positions
Point-Forward? Power-Guard? In an era of position-less basketball, Zion Williamson is further blurring the lines between set roles with his unprecedented balance of power, finesse, speed, and brute force. No one player has been able to juggle those actions, but the New Orleans Pelicans superstar-in-the-making is proving that one man wield all that power and not implode on himself, but rather allow its surrounding bodies to shine just as bright.
Although Zion has barely played in 100 NBA and NCAA games, the lore around the number-one pick has many volumes. In the chapter titled Sneakers, we can’t help but recall that time at Duke he literally burst from a pair of Nike PG 2.5s, leaving the entire city of Beaverton holding their breath while the Swoosh stock took a momentary stumble. After being drafted in the summer of 2019, Zion officially signed with Jordan Brand, beginning a youth-focused revamp of the roster that included the likes of Jayson Tatum and Luka Dončić, each with their own strong gravitational pulls.
Today, Jordan Brand officially announces the first signature shoe of this current generation of star athletes. Officially called the Jordan Zion 1, this new model boasts a full-length Air strobel, minimizing excess while maximizing cushion coverage of the foot. Fore-foot Zoom adds even more explosiveness to Zion’s feet, which are the closest things to human-made jet-propulsion engines we’ve ever seen. The fore-foot band should provide ample containment, a certain point of interest given the aforementioned sneaker mishap in college.
The launch colorway of Black/White will officially launch in stores on April 23rd, but three more have already been confirmed. The purple “ZNA” speaks to Zion’s duality of stardom and relatability as it represents the crossover of being out of this world, but also down to earth. The wild “Noah” colorway nods to his younger brother. The bright fuchsia “Marion” commemorates his hometown and middle school in South Carolina.
The Jordan Zion 1 “Noah” Is Inspired By Zion Williamson’s Kid Brother
With Zion Williamson being the first Gen-Z athlete in Jordan Brand and Nike history, his first signature shoe, the Jordan Zion 1, is being met with much anticipation—and rightfully so. From his rise to stardom to his hometown in South Carolina, the Pelicans player’s personal experiences are creatively channeled by four revealed colorways for the model. Among these offerings is the wild “Noah” style, named after and inspired by his younger brother.
The proposition sees a textile and synthetic construction that is divided between black and white by a fittingly Z-shaped overlay at the center. As seen on Zion’s Air Jordan 34 PE, another shoe inspired by his sibling, this new pair is also bursting with colors and utilizes drawings and doodles throughout. Specifically, overlays of multicolored brushstroke letters spelling “ZION” are atop the black sections of the design while the outsole sports a colorful pattern reminiscent of melted crayons. As explained by Zion himself, these motifs are inspired by the time when Noah was handed some crayons and a pair of Air Jordan 1 Lows to draw on when he and his family visited the Nike headquarters. He added that the mix of bright hues also reflects his brother’s colorful personality. To complete the basketball silhouette, a sturdy, full-length Air Strobel layered over a Zoom Air unit underneath the forefoot has been added for superior stability, as well as a forefoot band and unique traction pattern for the security and responsiveness demanded by the hardwood.
