While Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has showed off the latest sneaker from Jordan Brand during the team’s Eastern Conference Finals tile in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble, the company officially unveiled its newest addition to its iconic Air Jordan line on Thursday morning. The news was announced with a short video on the official Jordan Twitter account, which shows the shoe in a vibrant colorway as it is suspended in the air.
Zero to Zoom.
The #AirJordan XXXV is here. The fastest, most responsive game shoe yet drops 10.17. pic.twitter.com/AI4XowvuO7
— Jordan (@Jumpman23) September 24, 2020
The XXXV brings back a slightly modified version of one of the XXXIV’s most noticeable additions, the Eclipse Plate 2.0. According to Jordan, the tweaks made to that will “help unlock Zoom Air for a more responsive feeling in the heel and forefoot.” It also draws on a past pair of Js, as the tongue and the padding around its collar are inspired by the Jordan V.
“Integrating premium materials and textures was a priority for the Air Jordan XXXV,” Tate Kuerbis, a Jordan Brand footwear designer, said in a release. “The brand has a history of giving these materials an aspirational quality. When players see it, when they touch it, they feel like they have the power of the Jumpman behind them. Everything we do has to tie back to making the best basketball shoe on the planet.”
“The XXXV is comfortable, supportive and lightweight, to the point that I don’t even feel like I’m wearing it,” Tatum said in a statement. “I can play my style without even thinking about it. I was shocked that Jordan could take the Eclipse Plate in the XXXIV and upgrade it in the XXXV.”
The first pairs of the Jordan XXXV drop on Sept. 27 in the Center of Gravity colorway. The sneaker releases globally on Oct. 17, with a handful of colorways on the horizon: “Warrior,” which was inspired by Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura, comes out Oct. 21; “DNA” follows in the footsteps of the Fire Red colorway of the Jordan V on Nov. 11; Zion Williamson’s “Bayou Boys” colorway hits retailers on Nov. 30; and “Mopho” drops on Christmas Eve in China in celebration of Liaoning Flying Leopards guard Guo Ailun.
