John Kim Update: Nike has reached out to Sneaker News to share some info: the model is the Nike GT Future and it will release sometime later this year.
Wale revealing an unreleased Nike sample? We’re turning the clock back to the early 2010s when the DMV-based rap artist was the go-to individual to bring energy to a pair of sneakers. Wale Folarin’s feet were basically billboards for the Swoosh, and that fact that he wore the sample size 9 made it easier for this seemingly under-the-table partnership to continue. Whenever Wale wore a pair of upcoming Foamposites, it was front page news.
Rumors of a Wale x Nike collaboration were in perpetual circulation throughout the first half of the 2010s decade, but no such project ever happened (although he may have had involvement in the short-lived I-95 Posite Max Boot). The channel of sample products gradually slowed to a full stop as well as Nike went into the “influencer” route, choosing the likes of Bella Hadid instead of partnering with people who, you know, actually care about the brand. It wasn’t until the DMV Foamposite launch in 2024 that Nike actually worked with the artist on an official level. Better late than never.
During Friday night’s Nike Future Game, Wale was spotted wearing a never-before-seen Nike sample-a throwback to the era of Wale providing first/early looks at Nike footwear coming down the pipeline. The photos were shared by @higherlxng as well as Frank Cooker on Instagram.
Not much is known about this model, but it appears to be some type of molded upper with the distinct ankle collar shape of the Zoom Hyperflight. It’s got a bit of that early 2000s Nike Basketball energy championed by Eric Avar and Aaron Cooper. It is indeed confirmed to be a Nike Basketball product.
Nike is an all out fight to reclaim the energy it once held onto throughout the 2010s. It’ll require the right combination of product, partnerships, pricing, and people-pleasing, a formula they’re still trying to figure out in the post John Donahoe era. Good-looking performance product like the Pegasus Premium and teaming with actual sneaker fanatics like Wale will help right a lot of the missteps.
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