Under Armour Unveils The FUTR X ELITE Basketball Shoe

Under Armour's newest basketball shoe is a game-changing model for the brand and the industry.

Over two decades ago, Under Armour disrupted the performance sportswear industry through its game-changing apparel and unforgettable marketing campaigns. True to its roots, the American brand is releasing a hoop shoe that reinvents the future of basketball footwear and influences the standard moving forward.  

The FUTR X ELITE is a first-of-its-kind shoe that utilizes Under Armour's best technologies for the ultimate performance system with no distractions and a striking design. The model is layered with award-winning UA Flow technology that is lightweight, responsive, grippy, and supportive, boasting the highest-performance ground-contact cushioning produced by Under Armour.  

The Intelliknit upper creates a 1:1 fit and comfort, which is elevated by Flow underfoot for next-level court feel, responsiveness, and traction. There is less material, less weight, and less distractions. 

The ‘FUTR’ line, standing for ‘For Us To Rise,’ calls together a community of basketball athletes striving for greatness every time they step on the court. The sneaker will be worn by Under Armour athletes Jarace Walker, Kelsey Plum, and Diamond Miller throughout 2024 and will make its official debut at this year's NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. 

As part of the exciting announcement, FanNation Kicks spoke with John Humphrey, Creative Director of Footwear, and Kris Cook, Global Product Line Manager at Under Armour, about the lengthy process that went into crafting this innovative sneaker.

The Under Armour FUTR x ELITE basketball shoes / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

It caught my attention when Patty Mills wore the UA FUTR X ELITE. Was he the first to debut it?

Kris: "So, on the court, you are correct. Patty was the first. There was a little bit of a leak with Kelsey Plum previously. She had seen the shoe a while ago and was very, very excited about the visual. She saw it and said, 'I want to wear this in the tunnel with my 'fits.' She was very excited stylistically about the shoe."

Where does the shoe fit in with the rest of the UA catalog of performance basketball shoes?

Kris: "The whole idea behind this shoe was to put a pinnacle model out there that could halo our overall product category. We were really looking to create a shoe of the future that was disruptive. Obviously, there is a beautiful simplicity to it from a design perspective. But also, to your point, the blocking and the colors are striking. We wanted to be different and stand out and really leverage our pinnacle technologies with this rollout."

John: "From the beginning, the intent of this shoe was to keep things super focused and really pure. We wanted to focus on bringing together two pinnacle technologies for us - Flow and Intelliknit. That was the guiding principle that took us through the entire creation process. One of my original sketches was dated June 10, 2021. So, the normal development cycle for a shoe is quite a bit shorter than that. We attempted to do so many things, particularly with how the upper is built. It just took us several rounds to get it to where it is today and deliver that ultimate playing experience."

Is this the first time Intelliknit has been used on a hoop shoe?

Kris: "It is the first time holistically as a one-piece upper. We have used Intelliknit previously, but there have always been overlays and very overt support structures on the outside to complement it. But, yes."

The Under Armour FUTR x ELITE / Under Armour

So this is the start of the ‘FUTR’ line, standing for ‘For Us To Rise.’ What does that mean?

Kris: "For Us To Rise, we are always focusing on the future at Under Armour. We have our UA Grassroots platform that we always look at providing a benefit to future athletes. So, For Us To Rise, is a moniker that we liked as an acronym and it because it inspired the next generation of athletes."

Will there be additional colorways?

Kris: "Yes, you will see a plethora of colorways. Including styles with different color Flow tooling. We have heard for a while that consumers are looking for variance in colors in Flow underfoot. So you are going to see that come to life here. There are a total of six coming out, so we will look at balancing some neutrals and some bright colors to ensure that whatever the athlete and consumer will find an option they like."

We know NBA and WNBA players will wear this, but will we see it on college courts during March Madness?

Kris: "Great segway, you will see it all levels. To give a little sneak peek, we will have a March Madness colorway coming up. Plus, you will see our athletes, from pros all the way down to the grassroots circuits, supporting this shoe."

The Under Armour FUTR x ELITE / Under Armour

Last question: what do we need to know about this shoe?

Kris: "We want to put our flag in the ground on what the future of basketball shoes could look like. I think for us, it was really important to leverage our Under Armour DNA and do it in a way that only we could. I think this shoe is going to provide a sensation akin to when Kevin [Plank] first started the company and was going around with a tight tee-shirt that really invented a new performance apparel category. 

So, owning that fit and feel that the consumer has never felt before. So, our goal with this is to get that same sensation - like, what if we can give a new sensation to the basketball player? Flow removes the rubber and the heaviest part of the shoe and provides a more natural feel underfoot, while the Intelliknit upper offers zero break-in and is incredibly light. We are looking to revolutionize how a basketball shoe fits, feels, and performs on the court."

John: "To give a little more context to those performance details Kris mentioned, yes, the Intelliknit is minimal, lightweight, and there is a high level of breathability. But it's also a very dynamic fit. There are elements of the shoe that both hug your anatomy as intended. 

But the part that makes this knit more than a basic knit is that intelligent component to it that we were able to engineer in zones of containment, structure, support, and stretch. That delivers a very different playing experience that leads to that zero break-in time. That is what took so long to bring this to life from when we started. It was really a tremendous collaborative effort amongst multiple aspects of our product creation functions."

Kris: "John made a great point about the collaborations. This is the most collaborative product that I have ever worked on at Under Armour in terms of wear testing, biomechanics, materials partners, and the design and development team. This is the epitome of collaboration from our team to bring this to life in a way that will revolutionize what a basketball shoe will feel like."

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