The Air Zoom G.T. Cut 2 releases in the Bred colorway on September 16 for Nike Members and September 20 across North America. The Sabrina Ionescu colorway releases October 13 on Nike.com and the Nike App.
The Zoom G.T. Cut has informed every signature model from Nike since its release in 2020. The model was extremely limited in production numbers which drove the resell value through the roof, but that’s not why it shined. The model allowed Nike to fill the void left as the brand found a way to reconcile with the Black Mamba’s estate. While the relationship is repaired, Nike isn’t producing a lot of new Kobe’s. The shoe remains the most popular model for NBA athletes and for recreational hoopers, but due to the resale value, it’s impossible to get a pair.
Although the G.T. Cut was obviously designed to fill the void and provide hoopers with an alternative the last iteration didn’t really help because the model was pushed back from its original Olympic release and when it arrived during the make-up Olympics in 2021, the shoe was dropped only and in the SNKRS app, but it didn’t really go to traditional retail. The design of the 2 retains some of what made the original special, but it definitely isn’t as smartly designed as the 1.
The Zoom G.T. Cut 1 utilized an engineered mesh and foam upper allowing for distinct lines creating opportunities for incredible color blocking. The sneaker also had a more lateral and front stability design in the midsole molding shaped to match the arc of the Swoosh. That element alone gave the model crisper details than this new iteration. The empty reinforced fabric look in the pictures for this model places the model into a similar situation of potentials silhouette fatigue that the era of Flyknit basketball sneakers ran into (LeBron and KD’s flyknit sneakers performed poorly at retail). The heel of the 2 appears to overengineered but does have a comparison as it gives off elements of the Air Jordan 2 and the Hyperdunk 2017 combined. The Swoosh here isn’t as exciting as the 1 which makes it feel like the 2 won’t be as exciting and won’t perform like the 1 did. It will be interesting to watch how the market responds to the 2. I don’t think it will be as strong.