Jordan Brand just pulled the plug on Zion Williamson’s signature run, and, unfortunately, everybody thinks it’s warranted. The Jordan Zion 4, which launched in December 2024, will be the last one. Nicholas Vlahos of Sole Retriever broke the news, and it lines up with what you’ve seen if you’ve followed Zion’s on-court stops and starts in New Orleans.
Zion’s still a Jordan Brand athlete, at least for now. His contract runs out later this year, so he isn’t “sneaker free agent” status yet. Still, you can feel the mood online. Instagram had strong comments about the reveal: “They wouldnt be doing this if he played more.” Another fan went for the clean finish: “Great decision imo his sneakers were kinda mid”. Then came the stat-based roast: “Can’t have a signature shoe when you spend more time on IR than playing.” Harsh, but probably true. “More sigs than games played,” wrote another.
If we’re all honest, the Zion line never grabbed sneakerheads or hoopers the way Jordan Brand hoped when it handed a 19-year-old rookie a seven-year, $75 million deal in 2019. Zion entered the league with a lot of hype, and he even had that infamous moment when his Nike shoe exploded on national TV, turning him into a walking headline before he ever cashed an NBA paycheck.
But, unfortunately, he has faced plenty of injuries during his career. Since 2019, Zion has missed 211 games out of 456. That’s 48% of the schedule spent watching, not playing. Of course Jordan Brand noticed.
As many sneakerheads have pointed out, if you really want the best Zion-Jordan work, skip the signature line and chase his Air Jordan 1 Low collabs. They’re way better. In fact, people still swear by the Voodoo pairs: “Only good shoes was the voodoos”, one person wrote on Instagram. If you want the “new shoe smell” option, the Jordan Zion 4 sits discounted on Nike.com: $145 retail down to $97 (33% off) in select colorways. One more “Tropical Teal” Zion 4 should still drop, too.
Michael Jordan once said, “We looked at Zion as being an impact player that would bring energy to the game of basketball,” and, “We can’t play basketball for him.” Oh boy, Jordan Brand lived that sentence.
Now sneakerheads are faced with the question of whether to buy the clearance pair of sneakers, hunt for the Air Jordan 1 Voodoos, or wait for Zion Williamson’s next logo. Could it be with Reebok?
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