Zion Williamson is an unfathomable force, the purest combination of sheer strength and grace – a being of transcendent athletic ability. He’s also a devout admirer of the globally renowned Japanese manga series, Naruto.
A little over a year after receiving the signature kicks treatment from Jordan Brand, the Zion 1 had seen the release of 17 vibrant, eye-popping colorways. But as the 2021-22 NBA season came to a close in April, another exciting – and possible final – installment was announced that drew upon the 2021 All-Star’s childhood fascinations and experiences with the anime.
“My interest in anime started when I was like five or six with Naruto. I was one of those people there, episode one,” Zion said in Jordan’s promotional video of the collab.
As a freshman phenom that captivated the entirety of the basketball landscape at Duke University, we began to learn small pieces of the pastimes that the 2018-19 NCAA All-America First Team forward divulged into.
I know y’all remember the encapsulating mixtapes of Zion at Spartanburg Day School running around the hardwood looking like he was playing on a Little Tykes Hoop with toddlers. With the now Bull City being his chosen home for his one-and-done year in school, the roughly hour and a half drive away from his hometown of Salisbury, South Carolina meant more downtime could be spent with his family while the opportunity to watch him play in person grew tenfold.
In a blowout home win against St. Johns on February 2nd, Zion’s mother Sharonda Sampson spoke about how the two have bonded over kicking back and throwing on an episode of the anime together.
“When we get time alone, he’ll come over and we’ll watch the cartoon called Naruto. I don’t know what that is, but we’ll sit around and we’ll watch that,” Ms. Sampson said.
Zion’s not just a casual of the show. “He’s a superfan,” said graphics designer at Viz Media – the company that owns the rights to the anime – Julian Robinson. “From those first meetings, he was quoting the anime. And as someone who works on the anime, I could paraphrase quotes, he had ‘em pretty spot on.”
With the rights to the ninja’s image signed off, the Jordan Zion x Naruto collaboration was announced on April 26th, featuring three kicks decked out in colors and motifs inspired by Zion’s favorite characters alongside an apparel collection featuring the shinobi getting ready to throw down a between-the-legs hammer.
Kyuubi
Inspired by Nartuo’s ultimate transformation by way of mastering the power of the strongest of the nine-tailed beasts, Kurama, the alpha orange and electric yellow upper is synonymous with the ninja’s signature fit. Reflective of the time both Naruto and Zion ultimately harnessed their respective powers as untamed forces, the ‘Nine-Tails Mode’ colorway visually captures when the young ninja combines his Nine-Tailed Chakra with the Six Path Sage Mode.
“I was just always intrigued by this kid that had nobody in his life, yet he never let people not stop him from achieving the goal that he wanted to achieve. He always said, ‘Believe It,’ Zion said. “You have to ultimately believe in yourself and then everything will take care of itself.”
The Sage of the Six Paths
The creator of law, order and peace, Hagoromo is honored with this sleek black, white and blood red colorway. The second look in the collab pack features mismatched colored toe boxes, uppers and outsoles that display the truth seeking orbs belonging to the founder of the ninjitsu world.
Influenced by his family, friends and peers, the Six Paths colorway connects with Zion’s approach toward paying tribute to those that have guided him on the path he’s walked thus far.
Nine Tails
Lastly Kurama, aka Nine Tails, the centuries old beast sealed within Naruto Uzumaki. A desolating force, the nine-tailed beast seems to be living within the Pelicans star forward the same way it does within his favorite ninja when he effortlessly flies into the stratosphere and throws down colossal dunks several inches above the rim and his defender.
With a resale value ranging anywhere from $160 to $210, the three sneakers sees Jordan and it’s most explosive and animated signature athlete effortlessly craft a pack based upon deep-rooted personal ties and connections that are rarely explored fully and efficiently in today’s sneaker era.
Rumored to be the final colorway in the official release schedule of the Zion 1, we last received word of the Zion 2 in late March when a crisp white colorway with a multi-colored heel pattern surfaced online. While no release date has been set yet, we can expect just as much creativity and meticulous detail to be applied toward Zion’s second signature with a potential 2022-23 return to the court in mind.
Check out my Tik Tok breaking down the series here:
@randomsneakerpage Take a deep dive into the Zion 1 Naruto collab. #naruto #zion #fyp #foryoupage #sneakerhead #zion1 #kickslookback ♬ original sound – randomsneakerpage