As soon as the original Air Zoom G.T. Cut hit the stores, many hoopers were drawn to them because of their superb performance and also because they had many similarities with models from the Kobe signature line by Nike.

Since most of our basketball sneakers review blogs start with stories about their signature athletes, there is a detail right away with the Nike Air Zoom G.T. Cut 2 that many future owners of these amazing kicks will surely appreciate. The shoe does not have one main ambassador, it is instead promoted by many hoopers in the NBA and all over the world. Of course, this is also a definite sign and confirmation that the shoe is a great performer of the highest quality.

Approved by the Sneaker King

Speaking of players who are wearing them, here is the list:

  • Julius Randle
  • Tobias Harris
  • Patrick Williams
  • Jrue Holiday
  • Furkan Korkmaz
  • Markieff Morris
  • Sabrina Ionescu, Devin Booker and many others

Finally, it’s always a good sign if a shoe gets a stamp of approval from the “Sneaker King” and P.J. Tucker did just that when he also wore them.

Now we can get into more details. The G.T. stands for Greater Than and it was introduced as a series in 2021. It included the original G.T. Cut, along with the G.T. Jump and G.T. Run. Each of these basketball shoes was designed for a certain type of performance and specific types of players which proved to be a great idea. Also, the shoes were used to introduce some of the best new innovations Nike has to offer.

“Our world-class testing resources at the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL) give us the ability to discover new insights into the game and identify the smallest of nuances tied to athlete performance,” says Ross Klein, Sr. Creative Director, Nike Performance Footwear. “This helps us push footwear at Nike to always be greater than ever, whether that’s in basketball or in any other sport. The G.T. Series is an invitation to dream and to push the boundaries of human potential.”

Innovation, innovation, innovation

Perhaps the most important innovation with the Nike Air Zoom G.T. Cut 2 is the sole and it even has its own name – the Smear Traction 1.0. Basically, it consists of three parts with an arrow pattern in the back, herringbone in the middle and smaller arrows in the front. Also, each section of the sole is made from a different variety of rubber and initial tests by Grosbasket team members have returned great results.

“The G.T. Series is completely untethered from traditional ways of thinking,” added Klein. “The traction pattern is one of those elements that was generated at a micro-level insight from the NSRL after studying the relationship between court and shoe. The teams were able to drive a new innovation that gives the athletes the right amount of friction on court so they can cut faster, rotate quicker and adjust their footwork with enhanced precision.”

We mentioned earlier that the G.T. series are focused on specific types of players and here we can see the goal was to make a shoe for quick players who depend on executing countless cuts and changes of direction during games. Again, the bottom line for the sole and its traction is that they are great!

Innovations do not end here. Right under the foot, there is a drop-in React foam sockliner with an additional hexagonal Zoom air unit under the heel and then underneath all that – full-length Zoom Air strobel is also used! This will be pure joy for your feet since the amount of comfort is ridiculously high. Additional improvements were made around the heel for increased foot security, and when we look at all these features together we can be sure that many will again draw comparisons between the G.T. Cut 2s and some Kobe Bryant sneakers – just like they did when the 1s arrived. This does make sense to an extent, especially since one of the pillars for the “Cut” series is a super low silhouette and low overall weight. On the other hand, this shoe is so great and unique that it should be looked at as a unique masterpiece that will hopefully keep bringing many great editions in the future.

As always, if you have a chance, make sure you pay us a visit and try these great basketball shoes out. However, if that is not an option and you are buying them online it will really depend on the width of your foot whether you will have to buy a pair that is larger than your usual size as the shoe is designed not to be loose.