SoleGRIND
| 👟 Sneaker Release Info | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Nike |
| Model | Nike Adapt BB |
| Colorway | Black/Pure Platinum |
| Style Code | AR7793-001 |
| Release Date | February 17, 2019 |
| Retail Price | $350 |
| Available At | SNKRS App |
When Nike announced the Adapt BB, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Self-lacing shoes sounded like something out of Back to the Future. And honestly, the HyperAdapt 1.0 from 2017 was cool but felt more like a proof of concept than a real shoe you’d actually wear. The Adapt BB was supposed to be different. A real performance basketball shoe with power lacing technology that you could control from your phone. And at $350, it cost less than half what the HyperAdapt did.
So when I finally got to unbox a pair, the first thing that hit me was how much it felt like opening a smartphone. Not a shoe box. A smartphone.
Inside the box you get the shoes, obviously. But also a QI wireless charging pad. A USB cable and wall charger combo. And a starter guide that walks you through how to use them. Since when do sneakers come with a user manual? The box itself is this sleek black case with glowing blue circles on the front and the text “ELECTRO ADAPTIVE REACTIVE LACING” printed across it. Nike calls the system FitAdapt, and it’s their most advanced fit solution to date.
The shoe itself is a black and white colorway with a clean, almost futuristic look. The upper is a engineered mesh with Flyknit construction. There are no traditional laces. Instead, a custom motor inside the midsole senses the tension needed by your foot and adjusts the fit automatically. You can fine-tune the tightness using the Nike Adapt app on iOS and Android, or by pressing the two physical buttons on the side of the midsole.
The app is where things get really interesting. You pair the shoes via Bluetooth and then you have full control. You can adjust how tight the laces cinch down. You can create different fit profiles for different activities. You can even change the color of the two LED lights on the side of the shoe. It’s like customizing a character in a video game, except it’s on your feet.
The Adapt BB launched globally on February 17, 2019 through Nike’s SNKRS app and website. The full name is Nike Adapt BB, style code AR7793-001 for the Black/White-Pure Platinum colorway. At $350, it’s definitely not cheap for a basketball shoe. But you’re paying for the technology inside it, not just the materials.
What surprised me most was how comfortable they are. The HyperAdapt 1.0 felt clunky and I had to size up to get a comfortable fit. The Adapt BB feels like a normal sneaker. The motorized lacing system creates a snug, even pressure across the entire foot without any of the pinching you get with traditional laces. When you step in, the shoe senses your foot and tightens to a baseline level. From there you can dial it in tighter or looser depending on your preference.
The battery life is solid. Nike says you get 14 to 21 days per charge depending on usage. Charging is wireless, you just place the shoes on the included QI pad and they juice up through the sole. There’s a small LED indicator that shows battery status. It takes about three hours for a full charge. The fact that the charging pad comes included in the box is a nice touch. Nobody wants to buy a $350 shoe and then have to buy a separate charger for it.
For basketball specifically, the Adapt BB makes a lot of sense. During a game, your feet swell. With traditional laces, you’re stuck with whatever fit you set before tip-off. With the Adapt BB, you can loosen the shoes during a timeout and tighten them back up before going back in. The app lets you save preset fit levels so you can quickly switch between them. That’s a real performance advantage, not just a gimmick.
The outsole has a herringbone traction pattern that grips well on indoor courts. There’s a Zoom Air unit in the heel for cushioning. The shoe is built on a last that Nike developed specifically for the Adapt platform, so it’s not just a standard basketball shoe with a motor jammed into it. The entire architecture was designed around the technology.
I think the Adapt BB is one of those products that points toward the future of footwear. Is the self-lacing technology necessary? No. Traditional laces work fine and have worked fine for centuries. But the same could be said for a lot of technology. The Adapt BB is about pushing boundaries and exploring what’s possible when you combine performance footwear with smart technology. At $350, it’s an investment. But for what you’re getting, a motorized lacing system, app integration, wireless charging, and a genuinely comfortable basketball shoe, the price starts to make sense.
