The NBA Has Rules for Players Wearing Nike’s Self-Lacing Sneaker
Written by SOURCE on January 16, 2019
Yesterday, Nike revealed its latest innovation in basketball footwear, the Adapt BB. The self-lacing low-top is a successor to the HyperAdapt 1.0, and will allow the wearer to adjust the fit using an app on their smartphone. As is the case with all new footwear, the motorized model had to be pre-approved by the NBA before it could be worn by players during games.
The NBA tells Sole Collector that the Adapt BB is fully approved for in-game use. However, Nike has confirmed that there are some small caveats. Unsurprisingly, the lights that appear on the midsole are not allowed to be lit up on the court during games. One of the main features of the Adapt BB, its smartphone compatibility, will also have to all be handled in the locker room. Players will be prohibited from using the app to adjust their shoes on the sidelines during games, but they will be allowed to manually dial in their fit via the shoe’s midsole buttons during timeouts.
The first player to debut the Nike Adapt BB in a game will be Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. He will be rocking the pair during tonight’s home contest against the Toronto Raptors. Nike has confirmed that the shoes will also be worn tonight by Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic as his teams hosts the San Antonio Spurs.
