Sneakers Release – Jordan Zion 1 “Noah” Men’s & Kids’ Basketball Shoe Drops 5/19

Zion Williamson is the latest NBA sensation to get his very own signature Jordan sneaker — a huge deal for any athlete. With his star on the rise, the New Orleans Pelicans player debuted his Air Jordan Zion 1 basketball shoe earlier this spring.

On May 19, the Jordan Zion 1 will launch in second colorway called the “Noah,” which pays tribute to Zion’s younger brother. The “Noah” Zion 1, with its rainbow of multicolored hues, abstract brushstrokes and swirling scribbles, will release in toddler, preschool, grade school and men’s sizes.

This sneaker is full of color, but that’s not all. The Zion 1 “Noah” is full of history and meaning for the player and his family.

Zion Lateef Williamson was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 2000. His mother named him after the biblical Mt. Zion after his grandmother urged her to name him “something extra special.” And at just 9 years old, Zion would rise at 5 a.m., ready to hit the court and train for his sport.

Zion’s drive runs in the family. His mom ran track in college, and his stepdad played basketball for Clemson. Throughout his formative years, Zion attended a small private school in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and excelled at basketball. As he shot up in height (he was 6 feet tall by sophomore year and currently stands at 6 feet, 7 inches), Williamson began racking up state championships and Player Of The Year accolades. He quickly became known for his slam dunks, too.

He went on to play for Duke in college and was such a prolific player that CBS trained a “Zion Cam” on Williamson throughout the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

After being selected as the first overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, Williamson packed it all up and moved to New Orleans for his 2019–2020 rookie season. But due to a preseason injury, he didn’t make his official in-season debut until Jan. 22. Even with the pandemic, he became the first rookie since MJ (back in 1983) to have the highest scoring average in his first 24 career NBA games.

That rookie season also paid off when Williamson signed a $75 million deal with Jordan Brand — the second biggest rookie deal in sneaker history after LeBron James.

While the Z-Code sneaker model and is releasing in the “Noah” colorway for the first time, it isn’t the first time since joining the elite group of Jordan Brand athletes that he’s paid tribute to his brother Noah Anderson. In summer 2020, Zion released a “Noah” colorway in the Air Jordan 34, and big brother let his 7-year-old sibling design the shoe using scribbles Noah made during a meeting with a Jordan design team.

Noah’s 8 this year, and his luminous grin sitting courtside don’t tug at your heartstrings, his namesake Zion 1 colorway will.

Colorful bands anchor the bottom of the shoe’s lacing system and sit below the white mesh overlay that characterizes its toe box. The balance of this shoe gets a black, TPU-coated treatment that features Noah’s multicolored, crayon-like scribbles that cleverly spell out Zion’s name, similar to the graffiti-like insole on the Gen Zion colorway.

A plush, padded collar provides comfort around the ankle, perfect for little bros and big bros alike, and the tongue’s flexible padding offers both a snug fit and feel while easing lacing pressure.

One shoe includes a white Jumpman logo on the tongue, while the other gets Williamson’s signature, and a vertical “Zion” logo appears on the heel tab and one insole. A full-length Air Strobel system runs atop a Zoom Air unit beneath the forefoot. This feature offers incredible comfort, while the sidewall that runs up the sides of the shoe lends stability to the whole package.

The shoe’s melted crayon outsole features a series of contoured patterns that offer superior multidirectional traction and durability. The shock-wave-like outsole pattern is a nice continuation of the phrases that run along the sidewall — “Shock the World” and “Let’s Dance.”

Williamson values family, heritage and those formative beginnings that launched his career. That’s why you’ll find a ticker-tape-style list of the things he values stamped into the outsole — from his mother Sharonda and his Spartanburg upbringing to his coach and, of course, Noah.

Beginning May 19, head to your nearest Hibbett | City Gear to get the Air Jordan Zion 1 “Noah” sneakers in toddler, preschool, grade school and men’s sizes.