As NBA fans patiently await the return of Memphis Grizzlies’ star Ja Morant back to the hardwood, they won’t have to wait much longer for his newest signature Nike sneakers to land into rotations.
After a cryptic leak featuring a shot of just the shoes’ outsoles, we now see legitimate images of the debut colorway and an impending release date.
The Nike Ja 1 has been a hit in both the sneaker and hooping communities ever since their debut release in February 2023. They’ve been released in a multitude of unique colorways, playing into the fact that Morant is a unique player in his own right. Just a month ago, we saw a brief leak on social media that seemed to capture the outsole of what was rumored to be the upcoming Nike Ja 2. Well now, fans won’t have to wait much longer as we see concrete photos and a timeline for their release.
The Nike Ja 2 is finally here and it’s refreshing to see a similar, yet very updated style compared to the previous Nike Ja 1. Here, we see a slightly higher ankle cut with additional padding and support, along with an updated, oversized Nike Swoosh along the sides. We see a Nike Zoom outsole reminiscent of previous Kobe sneakers and we see a wavy, padded design along the upper comparable to the Nike KD 16. The hallmark feature is the speckled midsole and Milky Way galaxy pattern along the back heels, ultimately highlighted where the shoe derives its “Stargazer” nickname.
The official style code for these will read Bold Berry/Light Lemon Twist-Dark Raisin-Baltic Blue, an interesting and vibrant combination that seems to work very well together. The offsetting blue and yellow logos are a solid touch and we see “12:AM” stitched onto both back heel tabs, another small yet effective detail for these shoes. All in all, we’d say this is an extremely clean debut colorway for the Nike Ja 2.
The Nike Ja 2 “Stargazer” is expected to release sometime in October 2024, with a rumored release date of October 3. They’ll come with a $120 retail tag, sticking with the mantra of being an affordable and accessible basketball sneaker to all. They’ll see a release on Nike SNKRS App and they’ll be made available at select Nike retailers.
