Source: Nike Basketball Greater Than Series GT Cut GT Run GT Jump Official Images Release Date
The picture above does very little to show you why this particular Nike Basketball model has reignited casual interest in hoops shoes. In 2021 Nike rolled out the tech descriptions of three models in their GT Line (The Run, Cut and Jump). I thought one in particular was intended to be for Kobe’s legacy line, the GT Cut. The G.T. Cut has become one of the biggest resale sneakers because Nike hasn’t been able to roll out as many shoes as they typically have in the past. It could be supply chain, or it could be intentional, but none of the sneakers in the G.T. lineup have commercials or an abundance of marketing by Nike. The series does show up in a variety of YouTube videos with wear testing and looks at the models, but for a Nike shoe garnering the type of resale interest the Cut and Jump are, there aren’t any real moments attached any shoe in the series.
While the Cut has been the better of the two released last year (Run and Cut), the Jump has been another quiet success and it has forced me to revisit a comment I made a few years ago about basketball. I said that,
Basketball is a gateway to the discussion of performance sportswear and how athleticism is an important part of becoming a strong, better person who can accomplish great things. As a brand creates the connection to excellence it carries over to other products. I don’t have to advertise a Puma Future because if I place the attention on the athletes who represent the brand people will feel attached to both the brand and the athlete even if it isn’t by wearing the athletes signature model. If I don’t create the connection and other brands take the time to tell stories they capture the hearts and minds and since they already have the shelf space they capture the dollars as well.
That post was about Puma and adidas creating activations around basketball sneakers. This post is about Nike’s G.T. Jump and the lack of marketing on YouTube by the brand and the lack of detailed description on the Nike site about the shoe. You can’t even click through and find models of the sneakers on the site with the educational aspect of who designed the model, and that’s a trait Nike has been very good about sharing.
No signature athlete attached, no recognizable colorway, no attempt at creating a casual, street aesthetic… like the Air Jordan 36 and the past flagship models from Jordan Brand, the Zoom G.T. Jump is pure performance, and it was launched that way. The Cut, as I said, has a clean, Kobe, casual aesthetic and is easily transitioned from the court to the street. That is not the case here, which is a throwback of sorts for the Swoosh. It’s a 150-dollar hoops sneaker designed to perform, without regard to whether people will rock them with jogger pants or denim. This transition has led to a model that is sought after, without any push by the marketing team.
The last shoe to accomplish this level of interest from Nike Basketball, was the Nike Hyperdunk 2011, but that sneaker was worn by Blake Griffin in the Slam Dunk contest and featured a shattered backboard graphic and a unique colorway. The G.T. Jump is hovering at around 150+ pair sold on StockX for every color released, at an average of 210-250 for the 150.00 dollar model. Is this a transitional moment?
Or is there a shift in interest in basketball with Ja Morant? Nike’s roster of NBA athletes with signature shoes are aging and to be fair they are also not very exciting. They never really were that exciting to begin with. KD is great, but not box office. Kyrie is box office, but not exactly an easy person to identify with. LeBron hasn’t been exciting although he has been consistent, and Giannis doesn’t inspire kids to hit the court. PG should have never gotten a signature sneaker. Ja, doesn’t wear any of the G.T. Series shoes. He rotates the signature models of Kobe, KD and Kyrie so why would I say that Ja is the reason? Basketball has been flat for years. The last real showmen in the game were young Kyrie, Derrick Rose and Steph Curry as well. Steph is awesome, and the three-point shot may have changed the game, but Ja is everything that makes hoops incredible. D Rose was stoic and unengaging. Kyrie’s sneaker sales have slid as he’s ventured into conspiracy theories and his own intellectual endeavors.
Ja has reignited the entire country’s interest in hoops. He’s magnetic. He makes you want to go to the court and try to play, but he doesn’t wear these sneakers, so how can I tie these two things together? Where is this coming from? I mean, the limited quantity of the Cut and Jump is the obvious reason for the resale value, right? Of course… but Ja is infectious. His dancing, confidence, skill, is everything that makes basketball, basketball. Ja is creating a wave of interest in the game. There isn’t a product tied to him, but he is a Nike basketball athlete. No one is really interested in wearing any kicks from Nike’s signature athletes, but people want to rock with Nike and maybe Ja is a rising tide, that is coincidentally lifting Nike Basketball back into the mainstream. It may be time to make the G.T. Ja’s.