Nike unveils the Adapt BB

The first basketball sneaker with FitAdapt technology has arrived, Nike unveils the new Adapt BB.

“We picked basketball as the first sport for Nike Adapt intentionally because of the demands that athletes put on their shoes"

says Eric Avar, Nike VP Creative Director of Innovation,

“During a normal basketball game the athlete’s foot changes and the ability to quickly change your fit by loosening your shoe to increase blood flow and then tighten again for performance is a key element that we believe will improve the athlete’s experience."

How The Shoe Works

When a player steps into the Nike Adapt BB, a custom motor and gear train senses the tension needed by the foot and adjusts accordingly to keep the foot snug. The tensile strength of the underfoot lacing is able to pull 32 pounds of force (roughly equal to that of a standard parachute cord) to secure the foot throughout a range of movement. 

That’s where the brain, or FitAdapt tech, kicks in. By manual touch or by using the Nike Adapt app on a smartphone, players can input different fit settings depending on different moments of a game. For example, during a timeout, a player can loosen the shoe before tightening it up as they re-enter the game. In a forthcoming feature, they can even prescribe a different tightness setting for warm-ups. Plus, players can opt into firmware updates for the FitAdapt technology as they become available, sharpening the precision of fit for players and providing new digital services over time.

How It Was Tested

The Nike Adapt BB was put through a gauntlet of tests, including impact tests, intense temperatures, end-of-life tests that lasted tens of thousands of cycles long, waterproof tests to simulate the sweatiest feet and more. Here's how Nike researchers put a typical Adapt BB through its paces to make it the most tested shoe in Nike's history:

The ultimate stamp of approval still needed to come from players in the highest levels of the sport.
That's why the Nike design team invited an elite group of professional players, including Jayson Tatum from Boston Celtics, to Nike World Headquarters in Oregon for a run of workouts, putting the shoe through an exhaustive trialing period.

Where It's Headed

Nike Adapt BB is the first continually updated performance product from Nike due to the near-symbiotic relationship between the shoe’s digital app and the shoe’s opt-in firmware updates. As the FitAdapt system hones the quality of fit in basketball, the next step will be to bring FitAdapt to other sports and lifestyle products, each with unique demands for fit in different environments.

FitAdapt technology will be available in the Nike Adapt BB beginning in February.