Chinese sportswear company LI-NING joined forces with NBA player Jimmy Butler, the Bucket-Getter, for their first collaborative sneaker, the JB1. The Miami Heat player is well known for being a strong predator who doesn’t miss any opportunity in court, with his slashing attack and tough defense being the most powerful weapons. The JB1 is inspired by Butler’s intense play style while still expressing his unique qualities as an aggressive small forward in the league by drawing inspiration from many predator forms in nature that have strong hunting abilities.
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Li-Ning kicked off the collaboration with the first colorway Tough, appearing in black with red and orange details, the signature color of the Heat. This colorway pays tribute to Butler’s “play to win” attitude. The Tough was exclusively introduced to the Asian market. The partnership followed with two colorways the Vice-Black and the Vice-White, using the home of Butler’s team as the starting point for their designs. Taking the colors from Miami’s beaches, the city’s exuberant and flashy night scenes, and the neon lights appearing during the hours of darkness.
To help Butler gain better athletic performance on the court, Li-Ning applied its innovative technology on the JB1. With BOOM FIBER used as the upper material, the JB1 is more durable and retains its shape for a longer time. Combined with Li-Ning’s brand-new inline full-palm BOOM technology, the light weighted JB1 provides a grounded feeling for a quick, and bouncy start. Equipped with a midsole embedded with a full-palm spoon carbon plate, and with a new honeycomb-structured material for the outsole, the JB1 provides the wearer with a powerful boost and a stronger grip performance for the indoor court. – from LI-NING
Discover the JB1 in “Tough”:
Discover the JB1 in “Vice-Black”:
Discover the JB1 in “Vice-White”:
