Nike Basketball has begun to take a novel approach to preventing sneaker leakers from beating it to the punch: let the players handle it themselves. Ja Morant began unveiling new colorways of his Nike Ja 2 on Instagram last year, and now Giannis Antetokounmpo has gone a step further by showing his next signature model in images taken himself.
The reveal of Nike Giannis Freak 7 was tucked several slides deep into an Instagram carousel posted by Antetokounmpo early Friday morning after his Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Standing out immediately is the return of the backward Swoosh, a defining feature for three of his first four sneakers but one that hasn’t appeared on the last two iterations. In the two colorways pictured in Antetokounmpo’s hands, the Swoosh gets a series of rippled circular lines like you might see at zen garden. The effect continues with less uniformity for the overlay covering the ankle and scooping down across the midfoot, as well as on the midsole. More texture then comes through what appears to be an abstract mesh base.
A complex outsole pattern also spells out Antetokounmpo’s last name in a fashion that looks like a city’s skyline flipped upside down.
A third colorway of the shoe was also shown as a mockup on a television screen and is the only one to get a name: “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.” This image also indicates a new price tag of $110, down $30 from the previous model.
The Giannis Freak 6 just released in August, putting the reveal of its successor well ahead of the usual schedule. But with leakers holding no regard for traditional rollout cycles, control has been taken back in a casual manner.
Release information for the Giannis Freak 7 likely won’t come for some time, but Footwear News will keep you abreast of any updates.
