Jordan Brand - Basketball / Signature Athlete Division

Role: Senior Footwear Materials Designer

Performance models:

• Luka Signature Franchise

• Zion Signature Franchise

• Heir Series Franchise

• Specialty inline skus based on Jordan Family Athletes (Pablo Banchero, Yang Shuyu, etc)

• Specialty inline skus for Brand Marketing Moments (NY vs NY, Quai 54, Valentines Day, Lunar New Year, etc)

LUKA FRANCHISE

LUKA 3 - NIKE PRESS RELEASE

April 15th, 2024

• Tuned for creating maximum separation from defenders, the Luka 3 is designed to provide balance to the stop-on-a-dime gameplay of Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić. 

• The Luka 3 evolves the Isoplate, a technology specifically developed for Dončić, by widening the lateral outrigger and removing sections of the plate’s sidewall to reduce weight.

• The shoe features full-length Cushlon 3.0 foam for smooth heel-to-toe transition. Together with the Isoplate, the Luka 3 midsole system is designed for decelerating and accelerating, like when moving out of the step-back and attacking the basket.

“Tuned for creating maximum separation from defenders, the Luka 3 is designed to provide balance to the stop-on-a-dime gameplay of Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić. 

The Luka 3 evolves the Isoplate, a technology specifically developed for Dončić, by widening the lateral outrigger and removing sections of the plate’s sidewall to reduce weight. The shoe features full-length Cushlon 3.0 foam for smooth heel-to-toe transition. Together with the Isoplate, the Luka 3 midsole system is designed for accelerating out of off-speed transitions, like moving out of the step-back and attacking the basket. 

The shoe allows players to take full advantage of lateral and diagonal movements. The Isoplate produces torsional rigidity to keep the player locked in over the footbed. Cutouts along the lateral toebox include a neoprene-like barrier, allowing the toes to flex just enough on aggressive cuts without forsaking containment.”

“The real-life inspiration for the Luka 3 comes from Dončić’s love for high-performance sports cars. The properties of an elite car — the motor to propel forward, the chasis for control and agility — translated to Luka’s game, where he uses speed and control to his advantage for an offensive arsenal that’s nearly impossible to guard (Part of the shoe's design is inspired by a tire decelerating and accelerating at top speeds). The outsole features a generative herringbone pattern and is inspired by racing-tire traction. Other details are more subtle, such as the pull tabs modeled after the material of seat belts and the wavy striations on the engineered textile upper inspired by high speeds. 

The Luka 3 builds off the performance benefits of the Luka 2 and raises the floor for sustainability throughout the Luka franchise. For the first time, every Luka 3 colorway achieves a Tier-2 sustainability score, meaning each shoe is made with at least 20 percent recycled material by weight.”

ZION FRANCHISE

Zion 4 - Nike Press Release

January 3rd, 2025

• Jordan Brand’s new Zion 4 is built to accentuate the strength and speed at the center of Zion Williamson’s game.

• A Cushlon 3.0 drop-in midsole and full-length parabolic Air Zoom strobel provide a springy, double-stacked layer of cushioning, while a computationally designed outsole delivers excellent court feel.

• The Damascus Steel launch colorway and upcoming Mud to Marble and Forged in Fire styles expand on motifs from Zion’s previous signature silhouette, referencing his hard work making it “out of the mud” during his journey from Marion, South Carolina to the NBA. An upcoming white and black colorway also adds a classic look to the Zion 4 lineup.

HEIR SERIES

“Inspired by the Women’s Game, the Heir Series Marks a New Era in Jordan Brand’s Basketball Legacy”

Heir Series - Nike Press Release

October 28th, 2024

The women’s game is compelling young people all over the world to play basketball like she does, and the Heir Series channels that inspiration into a new silhouette every athlete can use to level up.

• The Heir Series is the lowest shoe in Jordan Brand’s basketball lineup, enabling the kind of running and cutting that’s central to women’s basketball and now ranks as the top priority for a growing number of all hoopers.

• The silhouette builds on Jordan Brand’s legacy of innovating with the female basketball player at the forefront, beginning with the 1998 release of the women’s Air Jordan OG — the Brand’s first model created exclusively for women.

Taking direction from bold, defiant athletes like Kiki Rice and Kiyomi McMiller, the Heir Series underscores the space women have seized at the forefront of the game’s transformation, using their style of play and self-expression to push boundaries and shape the future of basketball culture. 

"We’re currently witnessing a pivotal and transformative era for sports, especially women’s sports," says Rhyne Howard, a Jordan Brand athlete and Atlanta Dream guard. "This shoe allows us to leverage our understanding of how women play to create products that can benefit all athletes and push the entire sport landscape forward.”

Based on feedback from many of the 15 women athletes in the Jordan Brand Family, the Heir Series features an exterior layer of foam that protects a drop-in Cushlon 3.0 midsole, allowing the foot to be as low to the ground as possible to drive a flexible court feel for running and cutting.

A rubber herringbone traction pattern adds to that court feel, enabling quickness and control. Meanwhile, an adaptive, flexible cage inspired by the connection and teamwork central to the women’s game surrounds the shoe, driving support and comfort while preventing ankle rolling, the most common injury among women hoopers.

“I love how light they are, how comfortable they are, and I feel like I have a lot of support when I run and cut out on the court,” says Jordin Canada, also a member of the Dream backcourt and Jordan Brand athlete roster. “It’s a great shoe, and for it to be a shoe from women, I’m really glad to be a part of this one.”

“Understanding that the Heir Series is specifically designed from my insights as well as other women athletes on the roster is really representative of the change that’s going on right now in women’s basketball,” says Kiki Rice, a Jordan Brand athlete and UCLA guard. “Being able to contribute to the design and feel of this shoe is something I don’t take for granted. I love the aesthetic and think the color blocking lends itself to be a great vehicle for storytelling and advancing the women’s game and basketball overall.”

SPECIALTY Color & MaterialS FOR JORDAN FAMILY ATHLETES

*Coming soon*