Jared Ebanks As Jordan Brand’s latest and youngest signature athlete, Jayson Tatum occupies a reserved space in the Jordan Sport category. Sauntering into the arena each night while making the simplest of outfits look effortlessly stunning, a veil of debonair follows the 25-year-old St. Louis native from the tunnel to the hardwood where he’s cemented the Boston Celtics as one of the top teams in the NBA.
Split between Flight and Speed, the four-time All-Star and his gleaming smile sit in the high-flying portion of the Beaverton brand’s on-court discography while highlighting the efficiency in his duffel bag of shot selections and footwork. Supporting one of the most efficiently lethal superstars in the Association since the start of his colorway journey with Kelsey Amy on the Air Jordan 34, Tatum and the Jumpman banner’s relationship will be taking the next step this Christmas with the official debut of the Jordan Tatum 2.
“Because Tatum just looks cool and is effortlessly cool, he can pull off a lot of things on his foot and his shoe can be loud. We’ve found that soulful, funky kind of vibe for his shoe is something that he loves. He likes to let the shoe emote a little bit for him to show his excitement for the game and also his confidence even though he’s a little more soft-spoken,” Bryant Klug said, Senior Footwear Designer for Jordan Sport.
Evolving the efficient design language of his first signature, the Jordan Tatum 2 favors a familiar low-top trim and tongue construction that builds off the latter’s layered textile upper while featuring a smooth leather asymmetrical quarter overlay and mudguard. Displacing the 1’s use of a hallowed out sole unit, the Tatum 2 flaunts a new technical innovation for the brand as two textile cushioned pods stamp the midsole and upper with both flash and function.
Branching off of his emotionless demeanor, the design team looked to deliver the same feeling that Tatum exudes when on the court; a complete numbness to pressure, both figuratively and literally throughout the foot. “When we thought about what a sensation would be that would match that, we thought about a lightweight shoe that allows the foot to find relief from high-pressure components or in-shoe pressure. We were trying to come up with this combo that didn’t sacrifice stability or containment but had this great broken-in feel. That’s the genesis that gives you these big soft pods,” Klug said.
Amplifying the Tatum 1’s lightweight frame with season-long comfort, the Jordan Sport design team analyzed and mapped out the highest pressure points on Tatum’s foot, which appeared at the mid-foot and the pinky toe. Klug calls the latter technology an “efficiency hack” where a certain component of the shoe boasts purposeful functionality without sacrificing stability and support. Enter the duo of eye-catching soft foam and textile pods that sit on the exterior and medial side walls providing instant relief as the outside of the foot pushes out into the upper with each cut, step and defensive slide. By ditching the 1’s use of negative space with a lightweight TPU frame, the large foam frame doubles as a border that contains Tatum’s foot by wrapping and stabilizing the foot throughout multidirectional movements.
“Tatum reminded us and keeps reminding us that he needs a shoe that moves with his foot. His overall goal is to keep the shoe connected to his foot during all of his footwork and eliminating those lags where the foot moves in the shoe independently,” Klug said.
The Jordan Tatum 2 is built out of the desire for Tatum to be one with his shoe. However, the Tatum 1’s heavy use of ground contact foam posed a number of durability issues for players on outdoor surfaces and during reoccurring indoor runs. Klug and the design team were already half-way through the construction process when durability feedback came flooding in. Around the third iteration of the Tatum 1, Klug – the main pen behind Tatum’s signature series – tweaked the undercarriage of the model to address an increased use of rubber coverage in high-demand traction areas at the toe and heel.
“On the Tatum 2, we really looked at the unsung art of Jayson’s game which is his durability; which he doesn’t get a lot of credit for,” Derek Foster said, Senior Product Line Manager at Jordan Brand.
Among the 10 players selected to the NBA’s First and Second teams last season, Tatum logged the most games played (74) while averaging just under 37 minutes a night. Where the Tatum 1 capitalized on getting the maximum amount of energy return out of one game, the Jordan Tatum 2 instead mirrors the cushioned longevity Tatum requires for an entire season. Still, the design team was able to construct the lightest signature silhouette in the brand’s current on-court roster with the Tatum 2 weighing a mere 13.05 ounces in a men’s size 9.
Alongside the pair of textile pods, the Tatum 2s cushioning embellishments are spearheaded by a full-length Zoom Strobel system that returns from his inaugural silhouette. Klug notes that the fully fledged out sole unit will feature a much smoother heel-to-toe transition than its 2022 counterpart thanks to greater foam and rubber coverage. Underfoot, the hues of the textile pods transition into the added areas of rubber throughout the tread.
Taking a more detailed look at the model, several easter eggs appear. Tatum’s “Find A Way” quote from the Celtics comeback win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals last year appears along the medial midsole while the number 0 and “Deuce” return to outfit the spine of the heel and the inner tongue, respectively.
Tatum has consistently opened up to the Jordan Brand’s team of color designers. Formulating a close-knit relationship with Expert Color Designer Kelsey Amy, the launch colorway of the Tatum 2 returns one of Tatum’s most beloved PEs from last season; the Jordan Tatum 1 “Mommas Boy”. Dating back to his first PEs on the AJ 34, Tatum’s mother Brandy has been present at every single meeting with the brand. During one of the Tatum 1 design meetings, Amy notified Brandy that it was time for her to receive her very own colorway in her son’s signature series and began picking Brandy’s brain for inspirations. Fusing her love for volt and Calla Lillies, the Tatum 2 “Mommas Boy” borrows the same minimalist white, black and neon floral detailing with hits of hot pink animating the heel and forefoot’s Jumpman logo.
Echoing Tatum’s request to allow his silhouette to emote his love and passion for the game itself, the “Vortex” colorway of the Jordan Tatum 2 marks one of the most titular palette’s in his signature series. While chaos ensues underneath, Tatum’s demeanor mirrors the quiet peace of a vortex above the water. As such, a muted pastel green shrouds the near-entirety of the model while the cushioning pods are injected with an energized flair.
While Tatum will debut the “Vortex” colorway during the Celtics Christmas Day game, the Jordan Tatum 2 will officially release in the “Mommas Boy” colorway on March 5th in adult sizes only for a retail price of $125. The “Vortex” colorway will follow suit on 4th in full family sizing with the grade school sizes and lower repeating the Tatum 1’s use of an easy-entry tailgate system. In the meantime, enjoy a detailed look at both pairs below.
WHERE TO BUY
Jordan Tatum 2 "Momma's Boy"
US 03/05/2024 Tuesday
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| Retailer | Release type | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Nikestore US | Standard | Check Site |
WHERE TO BUY
Jordan Tatum 2 "Vortex"
US 04/04/2024 Thursday
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| Retailer | Release type | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Nikestore US | Standard | Check Site |
| DICK'S | Standard | Check Site |
| Foot Locker | Standard | Check Site |
| Champs | Standard | Check Site |
| Finish Line | Standard | Check Site |
| JD Sports US | Standard | Check Site |
