Jayson Tatum unveils his new Jordan basketball shoes

It was the 2023 All Star Game when Jayson Tatum first debuted with one of his signature shoes on his feet, the Jordan Tatum 1. And this Christmas, at his Boston Celtics' highly anticipated game in Los Angeles against their historic yellow and purple rivals, he wore the second part of his Jumpman partnership, the Tatum 2. To mark the occasion, we caught up with Jordan's designers to talk about how the idea for the shoe came about, what colours were chosen and how much Tatum loved the shoe from the moment he saw it. In fact, Jayson already has the first model tattooed on his back, and now he has to make room for the new version that refines and defines his path.

The Tatum 2 is equipped with a full-length Nike Air Strobel unit that cushions the impact of explosive movements. This innovation has made the basketball shoe the lightest in the entire Jordan catalogue without sacrificing strength and durability. In fact, Jayson Tatum is one of the players who spends the most time on the court in the entire league, 36.8 minutes per game, and it is this characteristic that the design team wanted to emphasise when designing the shoe around his foot. In addition, the large foam and fabric cushions define the aesthetic, which directly references the bold and fun spirit of basketball shoes from the 1990s. Lead designer Bryant Klug explained that the challenge was to "design a shoe that can perform at its best during the regular season to reach the playoffs in top form. That's a theme that should run through the entire piece, along with the idea of softness, fluidity and comfort."

Derek Foster, Lead Product Line Manager, and Kelsey Amy, Lead Colour Designer, are responsible for ensuring the Tatum 2's new shape is used in all consumer options. "One of the best things about my job is taking the elements that make Jayson Tatum human and turning them into stories, into colours and into elements that a consumer can walk into a shop, see a model and feel like we as a design team have thought about. And I think that's one of the most beautiful aspects of our job: creating a puzzle, knowing what's worked in the past and where we want to take things in the future," Amy explains, introducing another key element in the making of the shoe.

"We didn't want to be conservative with the look of the shoe. Like Kelsey said, we're starting to understand how cool this guy is and how many different looks he can wear and how versatile his style is. And I think he's really comfortable wearing colourful, eye-catching shoes," Foster continued. "Jayson wants to create a legacy and always look forward, even beyond basketball." And the two colourways of the Jordan Tatum 2 presented so far are closely linked to the Celtics player's private life. Furthermore, Jayson Tatum, who is used to bringing his son Deuce to press conferences, also wanted to offer the entire shoe collection for children of all ages.

The first is called "Momma's Boy" and will be available from 5 March. The chosen colourway is the white calla lily, inspired by Tatum's mother's favourite flower, Brandy, which can also be seen on the upper. The second colourway, on the other hand, is "Vortex"," which will be released on 4 April and is inspired by the calmness and energy it brings to every game. The colour scheme is also a nod to his calm and steady demeanour under pressure, just like the centre of a vortex.