Giannis Antetokounmpo to debut Zoom Freak 2s in Orlando, offers 1st look
We have our first look at the Nike Zoom Freak 2s, the signature shoe of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will debut the kicks down in Orlando.
The superstar ascension of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo reached different heights off the court a little more than a year ago.
It was shortly after being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2018-19 season that Antetokounmpo officially debuted his first signature Nike shoe, the Zoom Freak 1s.
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To say the launching of Antetokounmpo’s debut signature kicks was a success might be an understatement. After all, Nike CEO Mark Parker announced last fall that the launching of the Zoom Freak 1s was the biggest in the history of the company.
Following up his debut signature shoe sure looks like a tough act to follow, but it’s one that will surely see Antetokounmpo’s presence and marketability grow even larger on and off the court.
On Tuesday, we got our first look at the Nike Zoom Freak 2’s, courtesy of ESPN’s Eric Woodyard:
Official look at Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 2nd signature sneaker, the Nike Zoom Freak 2. Once again, it draws inspiration from Giannis and all his brothers (Kostas, Francis, Alex, Thanasis) with all their names listed on the bottom. It also lists his parents, Charles and Veronica. pic.twitter.com/2kppCr8Urw
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) July 7, 2020
The nods to Antetokounmpo’s family, from his four brothers as well as his parents, are present once again on the soles of the shoes, just as they were for the Zoom Freak 1s.
While those familiar nods are there, some of the signature looks that were present previously, such as the reverse swoosh logo that made up the midsole of the Zoom Freak 1s, have been replaced on the follow-up signature shoe. Of course, this is presumably just one colorway in a whole slew of them, just as we saw with the many different editions of the Zoom Freak 1’s over the last year.
Additionally, ESPN’s Nick DePaula wrote on Tuesday that Antetokounmpo is expected to debut the Zoom Freak 2s while in Orlando as the Bucks ready for their long-gestating playoff run:
"“After wearing 29 different versions of his debut Freak 1 sneaker so far this season, look for reigning league MVP Antetokounmpo to lace up the reversed and elongated Swoosh design no more than eight more times. With a late-summer launch date slated for his anticipated follow-up model, the “Greek Freak” is expected to unveil his similarly sleek, low-cut second sneaker as the playoffs near in Florida.”"
What that means for the retail version of the shoe remains to be seen but it’s likely safe to assume that the coronavirus pandemic has pushed back the sale of the shoe from being a summer release as we saw last year.
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What is clear, though, is that the business of Antetokounmpo is booming and with Zoom Freak 2s on the way, we’ll just have to see what history he ends up making this time around.