Zion Williamson, Who is a Big Anime Fan, and Nike Create a Jordan 37 Inspired by Naruto

Zion Williamson is the typical Gen-Z guy. Blasting anime music through his headphones during tunnel walks and relaxing with a big bowl of New Orleans food while watching the latest episode of Tokyo Revengers. Zion is just a geek with NBA money.

So how do you showcase your love for anime when you have a sneaker deal? By making a sneaker inspired by your favorite show, of course!

Zion has already worn one pair of his signature sneakers with the classic “Big 3” anime protagonists; this time, however, it’s on the Air Jordan 37.

Coming in a dazzling blue color overall, the monochrome look of the shoe is broken up by hints of neon green and metal tongue tags. The tags are an homage to the headbands that the ninjas wear in one of the most popular animes, Naruto. A cool little detail to an otherwise tech-focused basketball shoe.

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Naruto x Zion Williamson x Air Jordan 37 🍥 pic.twitter.com/TWpxid2VCV

— Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) February 4, 2023

Anime has taken hold of the world – it has become commonplace in today’s world

It’s not only Zion, but almost everyone watches anime today. From kids to adults, it has become more accepted into mainstream culture today, than ever before. And we certainly think it is a great art form that deserves more recognition.

If Samuel L. Jackson endorses it, the animation art form is automatically an A+. More often than not, the story is more gripping than the way certain animators draw their characters.

The yellow spiky tongue is the first hint of anime in this shoe. to the catchphrase “dattebayo” inside the tongue. The shoe might be exactly as advertised, with nice touches.

Also Read: “80% of All NBA Players Watch Anime!”: Zion Williamson Releases Shocking Theory on the League, During GQ Interview

Zion Williamson must have had a lot of influence in the design of the sneaker – Here’s why

With the shoe heavily featuring blue all over the shoe, it seems to pay homage to the protagonist, Naruto’s famous attack, the “Rasengan“. Even the insole features the “spirit bomb” of the Naruto world. But fans don’t see the connection because the colors don’t match.

But here is what it looks like: With patented and groundbreaking technology, this is how Nike described their tech:

“The upper is a new exploration of Lenoweave that uses a 100% TPE yarn, a monofilament variety that is both strong and pliable. “The design of the Lenoweave pattern itself, along with the profile of the tooling, is inspired by the AJ VII and the hand-shaped craftsmanship of West African basket weaving.”

This technology makes the shoe look like something other than the Rasengan. The first time we saw this particular thing in Naruto, it came with another character, Itachi Uchiha. Even though Itachi’s is red or orange, This shoe and its construction are blue, which means that this is most likely Kakashi Hatake and his final move.

Getting into more details, this is most likely a Susanoo attack, which can only be described as pure chakra wrapped around like an impenetrable shroud.

Kakashi’s Susanoo is perfect and blue, much akin to the shoe at hand. Did Zion Williamson mean to create this shoe, or was it an accident? It’s more likely on purpose because Jordan and Nike love subtle details. Only Zion and Nike know the answer to that one.

Also Read: “Zion Williamson, your shoes look more like Raichu than Naruto!”: Fans berate Pelicans star for ruining his ‘Michael Jordan collaboration’