Zion Williamson’s first Jordan basketball shoe is an explosion of colors

Zion Williamson has spent his first season and a half in the NBA wearing the latest models from the Air Jordan line, and now the young star is finally set to get his own signature shoe. Official images have leaked for the Jordan Z Code, which will make Williamson the fourth basketball player to get his own shoe from Jordan Brand.

We’ve known this day was coming since Williamson was in college, if not high school, but it’s still exciting to see what serves as an act of coronation for budding superstars. And as far as basketball shoes go, it’s not a bad-looking sneaker. The only downside is that, as Nike is beginning to make inroads bringing basketball sneakers back into the lifestyle space, the Z Code doesn’t have the right stuff to entice you to wear it off the court.

Looking closer — A 5/8 cut puts the Z Code somewhere between a high-top and low-top, which should be good for supporting Williams’ combination of an absolutely massive frame and the explosiveness of someone much smaller. A “Z”-like seam separates the upper into two distinct parts, a graphic-covered top half with the bottom coming in mesh. The very ‘90s text-based graphics spell out Zion’s first name in scattershot form, and the bright colors are matched by a rainbow-like arrangement on the outsole.

Sitting in between the upper and outsole is a midsole that looks like it may be partially reinforced with carbon fiber. Because we’re still in the leak phase for the Z Code, we’ll have to wait for Jordan Brand to officially announce the shoe to learn more about its technical aspects. Considering it’ll be worn by a player who famously stepped all the way through a pair of Nike PG 2.5s in college, we can expect some robust performance to support the rigors of Williamson’s game.

The Z Code could drop this month — According to a listing on Foot Locker Europe’s release calendar, the Jordan Z Code is scheduled for an April 23 release. It’s possible that the U.S. date will vary, but regardless we should expect to see the sneaker launch soon. We’ve yet to even see Williamson himself play in his shoe, and those days of waiting, too, should be numbered.