This may be fairly controversial to say, but Nike Japan’s upcoming release of the Nike Adapt BB 2.0 in the Back to the Future II inspired MAG colorway is every bit an improvement on the original. Don’t get me wrong, the original Nike MAG — designed by Tinker Hatfield for Back To The Future II and rocked by my personal style icon Marty McFly — is a work of sneaker art and a fixture in the history of forward-thinking sneaker design. But let’s be real about it, the Nike MAG is a shoe made for the silver screen, not reality, and though Nike has released commercial versions of the design on two occasions, both were for charity and even those pairs the company acknowledges, are produced for display.
Nike Basketball’s Adapt 2.0 in the MAG makeup though? Those are real, designed with performance in mind, less clunky in design, and yes, they self-lace! Dropping exclusively via Nike Japan, the Nike BB Adapt 2.0 MAG borrows the Nike MAG’s distinct wolf grey upper, white accents, and splatter blue midsole, and combines it with Nike Adapt’s app-controlled self-lacing system, textured swoosh detailing, and sheathed upper for a futuristic performance-based sneaker that delivers on the concept that the original Nike MAG could only dream about.
The only thing missing here from the original Nike MAG, aside from the Hatfield-designed hi-top silhouette, is the sneaker’s ability to light up, which the Adapt MAG remedies by adding a series of red, orange, yellow, and green dot details in the forefoot that extend into the sneaker’s blue translucent outsole. This emphasis on practicality and wearability is why we’re digging it over the OG, as cool as that design is.
The Nike Adapt BB 2.0 MAG is set to drop on August 9th exclusively through Nike Japan for a retail price of $400. Get a full look at the shoe from every angle below.