Gary Payton’s Nike Zoom GP has its very first Retro in 2019 for the models 20th anniversary.
For the first time ever the Nike Zoom GP gets the Retro treatment. Luckily, it’s a very good Retro and features many of the same aspects found on the 1999 original. Not something we can say for a lot of Retro releases — especially ones coming from Nike Sportswear.
The materials were the biggest surprise for me as Nike Sportswear has been known to use some of the cheapest materials you can think of on it’s Retro releases. They’ve also been known to change things up completely — Nike Air Up — to the point that it ends up pissing off consumers. However, this Nike Zoom GP Retro should please most as it may be the truest to form Retro in recent years.
Hell, they even put Carbon Fiber of the damn shoe. Real Carbon Fiber. Not plastic with painted squares on them… an actual performance-ready Carbon Fiber spring plate is on this shoe. Heel and forefoot Zoom Air are back as well. I can’t tell if the forefoot is the same articulated Zoom setup as the OG but after wearing them for a couple of days all I can say is that the shoe sits very low to the ground as is very comfortable on and off the court.
The inflated retail price of $160 is a bit much but if this is the price we must pay to get accurate Retro releases of old classics then I’m all for it. It sure beats saving $20-40 and being disgusted by your own purchase that was driven by an uncontrollable urge to relive the past.
The Nike Zoom GP is scheduled to release on May 16 in the Sonics colorway while the OG White/Black edition will release June 15.
Sounds like a retro done right. I want these, but 160 crosses the line a bit. But this will last you a damn long time, with the nice leather and outdoor outsole, which may be worth the price. Hmmm decisions.
Now they need to release the 2 and 3, but not the 4 (the 4 was one ugly sneaker )