Move over millennials, the first Generation Z superstar athlete is here. Fittingly, his name is Zion. While much has been made of the one-and-done’s highlights and ascent, we often forget his age.
Born in the year 2000, Zion Williamson is only 20 years young. Still, in the spring season of his life, the blossoming baller has already gone viral at the high school, collegiate, and pro levels, making his first All-Star Game in only his second season and earning his first signature just the same.
That shoe is the aptly named Jordan Zion 1.
Formerly floating around line sheets as the Jordan Z Code – an internal nickname much like the 2005’s Jordan Decoy (aka the Dub Zero) – the shoe, like Zion, has had big buzz even before it arrived.
Like Zion, the time taken for his shoe to hit the court has seen delays and been subject to scrutiny because of it, making the lens only magnified. Similarly, when Zion the player was finally ready to make his NBA debut, skeptics wondered if he was just an athlete and if his size and skill set would transition to the next level. To that point, when his shoe first leaked online, the Twitter talking heads saw doubters diving into the typical trashing of ‘Team Jordans’ and ‘big man shoes.’
Well, Zion Williamson and the Jordan Zion 1 are both as the kids say, ‘different,’ even if the older heads aren’t hip to the nuance.
In less than two seasons, Zion has proven more than meets the eye on the court. The only thing more otherworldly than his athleticism is his efficiency, making him the glitch in the matrix in a world of small ball brilliance and abundant shooting. In an era of quickness and excess, Zion has already proven a nightmare mismatch and a force at point forward.
Like his game, the Jordan Zion 1 is both simple and unique.
Powered for positionless basketball, a lower ¾ cut calls upon another athlete famous for wearing Air Jordans while the new-age branding speaks loudly to who is buying this shoe and why. Depending on the colorway, you don’t have to look closely to see a sharp Z visual defining the upper. What you do have to search for is the Jumpman logo which weighs as heavy cargo for all signature Jordan athletes not named Mike.
It speaks to the selling power of Zion, but it also exudes the awareness of his Gen Z following. How so? Because Gen Z consumers value the individual over the institution. You might have to be a kid to understand this or at least the parent of children born after 1997.
“Zion had a bigger following than Duke had,” Matt Barnes said recently on All the Smoke. While Barnes is old enough to have seen Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, and Elton Brand build the Blue Devil basketball program, he’s also the father of two teenage boys. Teens who are more enthralled with Zion’s one year in Durham than Coach K’s entire career.
Ironically enough, leveraging the athlete over the institution is what Nike more or less did in 1984 with the Air Jordan 1. Making Michael Jordan a signature athlete – both in basketball and before he played an NBA game – amplified him in the market and ostracized him amongst his peers. Well, it worked. While Mike’s Wings logo leaped off an array of products eventually paving the way for the Jumpman, the introductory installment still sold the Swoosh branding in prominent fashion.
Mike may have broken the mold and eventually birthed his own brand, but even the proteges to follow have more often than not found themselves touting the corporate team even if they are signature athletes.
When weighing the importance of Zion’s first namesake sneaker, consider this: the only other NBA athletes to play in their own signature shoe at the tender age of 20 are LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant.
While each athlete had massive marketing behind them as well as major game and blockbuster buzz, their first shoes were defined by big branding across the upper, serving as an advertisement for their corporate backer, not a launchpad for their own brand. The only exception is Carmelo Anthony’s arrival with the Jordan Melo 1.5 which was more heritage hybrid than true passing of the torch. Even in the years to follow, branding from Beaverton has outweighed that of LBJ, KD, Melo, or Sheath logos when considering their lines.
The Jordan Zion 1 is different. Namely, it wears a Z across the sidewall – not a Jumpman, stripes, or a check. The homage to his haircut and biblical birth name not only separates him from previous peers at Jordan Brand, it immediately stands out on any wall at a shoe store. Representing Generation Z, the Jordan Zion 1 speaks to an era where the individual is more important than the institution.
Despite hoarding more heritage than any brand not named Nike, Jordan Brand has made the choice to get younger. Early attempts like giving Russell Westbrook a lifestyle signature before his own court shoe were risk-worthy. The tipping point, however, had to be the acquisition of Travis Scott, creating the leverage and landscape to haul in a hoard of NBA, WNBA, NFL, and MLB athletes with clout cache and the benefits of being in the family.
The biggest signing for Jordan Brand, in both stature and deal dollars, has been Zion.
The House of Highlights prep turned Duke prodigy with a first name that means, yes, “utopia”, has proven the prodigal son of Jordan Brand’s now loaded roster. Despite going to MJ’s rival university and even with All-Stars like Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum on the roster, Zion has risen as the face of the footwear franchise while playing in a smaller market and still fighting for a playoff seed.
Coached as a kid by his mother Sharonda Sampson, he carved out his own unique identity both as a hooper and a person. Even as a teenage sensation whose YouTube views overshadowed his Rivals ranking, it was clear the only thing bigger than his hype was his heart.
I’m a millennial raised on Shaq and Kobe and I met Zion when he was just 17-years-old during an AAU tournament in Fort Worth, TX. Even then, he came across as a high-flying version of The Hulk despite being barely old enough to drive. Zion stood out not just by his stature but more so his demeanor. Both bubbly and down to earth, the smiling sensation answered interview questions with the confidence of an adult and the candor of a kid. He spoke to studying the likes of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook with the same excitement as discussing listening to Drake and J. Cole. He made mention of how he wanted to be an all-around player while proving with his personality he was already a well-rounded person.
Even at 17, he outperformed most media-trained professionals while clearly still a kid at heart. Even after millions of views on YouTube and millions of dollars in deals, he appears to carry the same core three years later.
This proved true for Jordan’s design team when working on the debut signature shoe for Gen Z’s first footwear frontman.
“We’re working with one of the most humble athletes we’ve seen with the brand,” noted Jordan Zion 1 Product Director, Jarrett Mann.
Over the course of a tumultuous 2020, Jarrett and the team at Jordan Brand worked remotely and rigorously. Because of Zion’s happiness and humility, it was an easy task despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.
Quite literally the “Zoom Zion” (the shoe was created over online conference calls with the design team), the pair still proves personal as it was inspired by mood boards the New Orleans standout made with his mother.
Ideated over modern technology and made of it just the same, the Zion 1 features a full-length Air Strobel unit stitched into the sneaker, amplified by a Zoom Air unit in the forefoot. A padded tongue and collar provide the touchpoint for feel, fit, and branding, laying the foundation for lacing that secures the forefoot like a seatbelt, powering him to play on his toes while not exploding through his shoes as seen in the past.
“What we’re seeing now is the introduction of Point Zion,” notes Jarrett. “With this shoe, it’s going to appeal more to that wing/guard prototype rather than a typical big man shoe because Zion’s unique in that dynamic.”
If it sounds like a turning point for Jordan Brand basketball it’s because it is.
“To be able to usher in Zion is a new generation,” said Jordan Brand’s Kelsey Amy who worked on color stories for the Jordan Zion 1. “To see the baton getting passed a little bit to that new generation of athletes.”
That new generation is Generation Zion. In the powerful point forward, a legion of kids have a hero who walks in contradiction to previous eras’ norms while confidently standing in his own conviction. And now, his own kicks.
An authentic anomaly, Zion is a big man with mall drip in an era of small ball shooters more concerned with the runway than their runner. Zion wears a smile like he wears a sweatsuit, always appearing comfortable while ready to go.
Simply put, he’s not lost in the sauce. Zion is aspirational in athleticism while accessible in humility. He’s a post-millennial who doesn’t post. A household name who spends most of his time in his house.
“Really, I just wanted people to know me,” declares Zion in the design video for his first shoe which co-stars his little brother Noah. “Once you get to know me I’m just this super down-to-earth guy who likes to be around his people and have fun.”
While Zion’s people are his siblings and his parents, he’s now part of an elite fraternity of athletes chosen to co-anchor the Jumpman. Following the likes of Derek Jeter, Dwyane Wade, Randy Moss, and Russell Westbrook, Zion Williamson is only the tenth ever signature Jordan Brand athlete when including the first-ever named Mike.
While MJ’s Jumpman logo overshadowed signature shoes for future Hall of Famers like Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, Generation Zion will be different. Launching a footwear and apparel collection equally inspired by the fact that he drives a truck yet loves anime, the signature Gen Z shoe most contradicts history by branding the upper with a bold Z in lieu of basketball’s most loaded logo.
If the Jordan Zion 1 performs anything like Zion himself, then it will be beloved by kids before it even hits the court. Skeptics will compare it to toolings of the past, missing the mark on its progressive branding and positionless play. The shoe is accessible in pricing and meant for those still learning to love the game.
Just like Zion Williamson himself, the Jordan Zion 1 is not just intended to stand out in an era of transition. Rather, it’s meant to define a new generation that’s all its own.
Images via Nike