The insane run of Player Exclusives and retail releases of the Nike Book 1 was ironclad proof that Devin Booker honors the history of Nike basketball and sneaker culture. It’s those references to the past releases and moments that made his debut signature shoe such a strong storyline in its two-year-long run, but it’s raised the standard for his sophomore model.
We’re off to a strong start as Devin arrived in the NYC area (Phoenix has back-to-back games against the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets) honoring a local legend–Spike Lee. Inspired by “Urban Jungle Gym”, an overly colorful ad campaign championed by Spike Lee in 1992, this Book 2 features the same multi-colored African-inspired mosaic on the midsole seen on the iconic Air Raid 2. Throughout the Urban Jungle Gym collection that launched in the early 1990s and later in retro-inspired collections is a peace sign; this same emblem is embroidered on the heel of the Book 2. On the heel is “Live Together”, a significant phrase from the series. Finally, Devin’s logo on the tongue is executed in the same artistic manner as Spike’s legendary campaign.
Booker’s reverence of Nike ephemera goes back to his rookie year; he owns an original version of the Nike Urban Jungle Gym varsity jacket; he purchased it from a vintage store during or just before his rookie year.
