

I also love the vintage “Freak” logo on the tongue with modern style elements. The small strap on the back of the sneaker offers a smidge more heel support, even though the rest of the sneaker doesn’t lack for it. The tongue gives even more foot support and rests snugly on the top of my feet without any real negative pressure. The stitching and materials used in the Freak 2 are vast improvements from the first generation Freak 1s. They also designed a more aerodynamic sneaker for speed. The sole balances firm and sturdy and doesn’t feel clumsy to wear. This allows for more stability and more explosivity.

An outrigger is the outside of the sneaker sole that protrudes out, giving the user a broader base. They utilized an outrigger design on the sole, which forms a wider front section.

Once you become acquainted with its nooks and crannies, however, you become impressed with all of the innovations Nike incorporated.īecause of the combination of speed, quickness, and strength that Giannis plays the game with, his shoe needed to address many different aspects simultaneously-and they did just that. What I love about the shoe’s design is that it initially looks unassuming. Nike sees in Giannis a new archetype for the modern athlete, which means the sneaker they created with him has to be fit for a Freak. He plays at a speed and ferocity rarely seen in the league, and his movements are so complex that we knew his signature shoe would be unique. Reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year and MVP Giannis Antetokuonmpo is called The Freak for good reason. My comprehensive review of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Nike Zoom Freak 2s will cover the ins and outs of one of the year’s best sneakers. When you wear the same pair of sneakers for an entire college season (I played in a Division III school without a big-time sneaker budget), you form opinions about which sneakers just feel right (and some that definitely don’t). The decoupled outsole for additional shock-absorption capabilities is designed specifically for the Greek Freak‘s signature euro-step.As a former college basketball player and someone who has played the game for over three decades, I cannot overstate the importance of good sneakers. Etched into the heel is the word Freak vertically scrawled in handwritten-font, to further pay tribute to the famed MVP star. To finish off the shoe, support ridges are highlighted in a light blue, while the soles of the shoe stays with the desert-tan theme. Warmer tones are used to emphasize the details of the shoe, including the Nike Swoosh, adorned in a bright red on the side, the deep orange laces, and an eye-catching yellow heel tab. The alphabet-detailing is accented in an array of colors and is printed on both the tongue and the heels. The shoe comes in a Desert Sand/Sail/Camellia/Gym Red color scheme where the neutral tones are seen throughout the silhouette. Nicknamed the Alphabet Soup growing up, due to his hard to pronounce last name, Antetokounmpo and his accolades are being honored with the sneaker’s new design in alphabet lettering.
