First Look: Air Jordan XXXIV
Thirty Four.
As Gentry Humphrey, VP of Jordan Brand Footwear, put it, the Air Jordan line has become the most influential line of performance footwear in basketball history. No other signature shoe has come this far and welcomed with great excitement and anticipation year in and year out. What’s great about the line is that MJ aims to provide the best possible basketball shoe for the sport’s future stars by introducing innovation with every silhouette.
The Air Jordan XXXIV is a testament to that.
By stripping away non-essential material from the tooling down to the upper, the athlete is left with what truly matters in such a good-looking package.
with the Air Jordan XXXIV
Work on the XXXIV started with the feedback from its predecessor, the Air Jordan XXXIII. While the shoe did garner mixed reviews, a lot of the athletes wanted an improvement in traction and weight reduction. JB designer Tate Kuerbis took the lead and introduced the Jordan Eclipse Plate.
The Jordan Eclipse Plate is formed by two Pebax pieces and an articulated forefoot Zoom Air unit which helps provide optimal explosion off the foot.
“The Eclipse Plate takes the inherent values of the propulsion Flight Plate, a technology that is well-loved by Jordan athletes, and helps reduce the overall stiffness and strips down the weight,” says Kuerbis. “We achieve this by thinking about the type of plate materials used and how we can harness the principle value of each element.”
As mentioned, the Eclipse Plate works hand in hand with the articulated forefoot Zoom Air unit. The Eclipse Plate forms a cove, which allows the unit to compress and move without restraint. This gives more control and full range of explosive movements – cuts, sprints, jumps, you name it. Just imagine a guy like Blake Griffin or Zion Williamson can do with less restraint on the court!
With the Eclipse Plate and forefoot Zoom Air unit working together, they’re further complemented with a herringbone traction pattern. It’s actually ingenius for a brand to take their latest innovation and partnering it with the most tried and tested patterns. The result is a godsend – great propulson with the first step, easier cuts and helping you stop on a dime on d.
On the upper, you will notice that Jordan Brand took a sidestep from its 31/32/33 lineage of taking inspiration from the 1/2/3. While it may not look like the Air Jordan 4 or any Jordan sig for that matter, it does represent what a basketball shoe should look and feel.
The Air Jordan XXXIV will be worn by select Jordan Brand athletes, partner high school and college teams this season. The shoe is slated to drop September 25 but keep it locked here for local release details.
