The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 375 — Second chances 🏀
Ja Morant's second signature represents a new beginning for him and Nike.
Goooood morning, folks! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear. Thank you so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate y’all.
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Alright. Let’s get it.
Ja Morant has a second chance
NBA star Ja Morant’s second signature Nike shoe is releasing later this month and — maybe this is a bit of hyperbole on my end — but it feels like the stakes are extremely high with this one. If this shoe flops, Ja’s future with Nike must be questioned.
It already was, honestly. It was only just over a year ago that Nike seemed to be separating itself from Morant shortly after releasing his first signature sneaker under the brand’s name.
A look back: Morant found himself in trouble off the basketball court because of his reckless gunplay.
He was twice seen flashing guns on social media and was subsequently suspended for 25 games by the NBA.
There were also legal troubles. Around the same time, we found out Morant was in a physical altercation with a teen. A judge later ruled he’d acted in self-defense, but it still wasn’t a good look.
The aftermath: While all this was happening, Nike had pulled a colorway of Morant’s signature sneaker off its site. The brand never stated the reason behind it, but the timing of it all made it painfully obvious that it simply didn’t want to sell Morant’s signature model while its star player was making headlines for the wrong things.
Fast forward: Here we are today, a year and a full NBA season later, and things have cooled off. Morant’s second signature shoe is set to debut soon and this is a chance for redemption for the star point guard.
It’s a huge opportunity for both him and the brand.
For Nike, Morant is the brand’s first Gen Z athlete and Nike needs him to connect to that audience. Kids just connect with the guy. They always have. He’s got the flashy, high-flying style of play and that “cool” factor to go alogn with it.
For Ja, his sneaker allows him to become a legitimate figurehead for Nike Basketball. He’s the face of the future. LeBron James and Kevin Durant will be on the way out soon. Giannis Antetokounmpo The runway is clear. He just has to fly.
Yes, but: It’s entirely possible that he’s already done too much damage to his brand at this point. There are going to be parents out there who don’t want their kids supporting the guy who flashed guns in the strip club.
Is that entirely fair? No. But that’s the reality here.
Time and space certainly help. If he plays well when the season starts, that’ll help, too. But there’s no guarantee Morant will ever have the shine he once did again.
If his Grizzlies are good, that’ll certainly help. They say winning cures all ails, after all. But if he can’t, it’s easy to see a situation where this shoe falls by the wayside. That won’t bode well for Nike and Morant’s future together.
What needs to happen: Obviously, Morant needs to be a saint off the court. He can’t afford to drop the ball there again.
But the rest is simple: The shoes will need to sell well.
They don’t need to beat LeBron James as Nike’s top sellers. They probably won’t do better than most Kobes. But I think Morant can easily beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and Devin Booker. He should be in that Kevin Durant range for Nike Basketball.
Money talks. If Morant’s signature shoe is resonating with audiences the same and selling at levels that, say, Kyrie Irving’s signature model used to? He’ll be just fine.
Other basketball news:
We finally got a look at the Curry brand’s Fox 1. It doesn’t look too bad!
While one brand’s signature line begins, another seems to end. The Trae Young 4 might be it for Adidas and Young’s partnership.
Expensive cuts
When Kevin Plank returned to Under Armour earlier this year as CEO, one of the first big action plans he announced was the brand’s new restructuring plan.
The general idea was that Under Armour would cut costs by restructuring departments and trimming inventory. Meanwhile, it’d focus on selling exclusive products with high profit margins to boost revenue.
But, as it turns out, that’s not the easiest thing to do.
The news: The brand’s restructuring plan doesn’t seem to be going as planned.
Under Armour announced last week that it’s incurring more costs than initially anticipated behind Plank’s agenda.
The restructuring plan was only supposed to cost between $70 million and $90 million.
Instead, the company announced, it’s expected to fall between $140 and $160 million. Basically, it costs double what the company originally anticipated.
The source: Most of the extra chunk of change comes from the brand’s decision to disband a distribution center in Rialto, California, by March 2026.
Those extra costs include employee severance packages and transformational initiatives that would shift distribution operations elsewhere. It’s not an inexpensive thing to pack up and leave.
The big picture: This has to make you question how well-crafted this plan from Plank’s new regime was in the first place.
It’d be understandable if we were talking about a smaller increase here. But, again, the cost here has almost doubled.
That’s strange. And it certainly doesn’t help investor confidence in the brand.
Don’t get me wrong — Plank has made some solid moves in his return to Under Armour. For example, the Balenciaga move is interesting. Hiring Eric Leidtke and picking up his Unless Collective brand was also brilliant. That’ll go a long way in helping UA beat out competitors in sustainability.
But then, a simple blunder like this happens. And it feels like we’re dealing with the same old Plank again.
Repurposing the General Purpose
Nike hasn’t released a new pair of Tom Sachs’ General Purpose Shoes since 2023.
That’s almost certainly to the chagrin of every executive at the company. The shoe was a hit.
Sachs created a shoe meant to be a daily beater, which became a hype beast special. Every drop sold out and the drops were frequent.
Then we learned about the awful workplace Sachs fostered and it was a wrap on that. All momentum stopped.
But fret not: If you’ve been looking for something to scratch that General Purpose itch, Nike may have come up with something for you.
The brand is releasing the Nike C1ty in the coming months, according to GQ. This thing appears to be an amalgamation of Sachs’ GPS joints and the Field General 82 that Nike foisted onto us over these last few months.
A look:
You can very clearly see the inspiration in these joints.
That outsole is just like the rugged, thick look Sachs’ GPS joints give you.
The upper is more Field General or Dunk-ish than anything else. It doesn’t seem like one or two pieces like the GPS shoes did.
Let’s be real: This won’t compare to the General Purpose Shoe in hype. Sachs is the reason those worked so well. He had (and still has) a cult following that built the hype behind the silhouette. That won’t apply here.
But it will be interesting to see if these shoes actually work for people. The Field General has had a few solid models that have worked, but I don’t think the shoe is particularly impactful at all. How many people have you seen wearing those in place of, say, the latest pair of Dunks or even signature models from other brands?
The C1ty is a clear descendent of the model and, honestly, I don’t know if the reception behind the Field General was good enough to go that route.
This will either be a big boon for this clunky trainer aesthetic or its last gasp.
RELATED: Still haven’t been able to give up on those GPS shoes? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Here’s a guide I wrote for you to still wear your canceled shoes.
The weirdest fusion of 2024 is finally here
For months now, so many people have messaged me asking, “Yo, Sykes. When do those New Balance loafers come out?!?”
Y’all can finally chill. They’re coming this week. The New Balance 1906L finally arrives soon.
As you’ve probably guessed, the L here stands for loafer. These are legitimate 1906r loafers. I’ve got a love-hate relationship with them.
I mostly hate them: These are probably too weird for my taste? It’s such a strange fusion. If I’m wearing a loafer, I’m going full loafer — not sneaker loafer.
Here’s what I love: With that said, I love New Balance taking a stab at something unique and different for the 1906 model here. There are so many variations of it already. Functionally, this one has to be the most unique pair. It’s like a sneaker spork, honestly. Best of both worlds vibes.
Will sheer curiosity win over and coax me into a pair? We’ll find out soon.
What’s droppin’, bruh?
Long list this week, folks! There’s a lot of good stuff coming out — especially this weekend.
Air DT ‘96 Max “Colorado” — Monday, September 16
Air Max Sunder “Metallic Silver” — Wednesday, September 18
Kobe 9 Elite Low Protro “Halo” — Wednesday, September 18
Song for the Mute x Adistar Cushion 3 — Thursday, September 19
New Balance 1906L — Thursday, September 19
Verdy x Nike SB Dunk Low “Visty” — Friday, September 20
Jae Tips x Saucony Pro Grid Omni 9 “To Do List” — Friday, September 20
Bad Bunny x Adidas Gazelle Indoor — Saturday, September 21
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate you. Have a fantastic week. Let’s chat again on Friday.
Until then. Peace and love. Be easy, be safe, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯
The Field General push is so strange. I guess Nike saw everyone in Sambas and found the closest thing in their archives.