Celtics’ Jayson Tatum will wear self-lacing kicks, the Nike Adapt BB
Jan 15, 2019, 7:54 AM
Ever since Marty McFly geared up in the self-lacing Nike Air Mags in “Back to the Future II,” the shoe company has been playing catch-up to that vision of shoe technology. On Wednesday, the company will finally put a self-lacing shoe in the public eye that’s more than an attempt at show.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will wear the new Nike Adapt BB in a Wednesday game against the Toronto Raptors, Nike revealed in a shoe release event Tuesday.
This isn’t the first self-lacing shoe or the first with adapting fit.
But it’s notable that Tatum will lace up slip into the app-connected shoe during a game. Here’s how the shoe works, straight from Nike’s release for the Adapt BB.
When a player steps into the Nike Adapt BB, a custom motor and gear train senses the tension needed by the foot and adjusts accordingly to keep the foot snug. The tensile strength of the underfoot lacing is able to pull 32 pounds of force (roughly equal to that of a standard parachute cord) to secure the foot throughout a range of movement.
That’s where the brain, or FitAdapt tech, kicks in. By manual touch or by using the Nike Adapt app on a smartphone, players can input different fit settings depending on different moments of a game.
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Nike is calling the Adapt BB the first continually-updated performance shoe in its arsenal.
It’s a good bet that all eyes will be on Tatum to see if he experiences discomfort, shoe malfunctions or adjustment struggles as he tinkers with a phone app instead of tightening his laces Wednesday night.
