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Today — Friday, November 4th — marks the release of Bucks guard Brandon Jennings second signature shoe, the Under Armour Micro G Bloodline. If you want, you can head directly to the Under Armour site where the shoe is available right now for $110. Or, click through to find out some more about the Bloodline as we deliver 10 questions answered.
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1) IS THAT REALLY A SKETCH OF THE BLOODLINE? Um, yes. Why? BECAUSE IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE IT. Really? I wouldn't say that. If you lopped off that top part, the last sketch looks pretty close. Also, it's kind of cool how the midfoot strap and the midsole/outsole elements stayed consistent throughout. And check out the date — 7-1-10. Gives you an idea of what kind of leadout a project like this has.
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2) THESE ARE REALLY JUST COMING OUT TODAY? I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN SEEING THEM FOREVER. Well, you have seen them a lot, especially if you're on Twitter. Brandon Jennings isn't only the signature athlete, he's also Under Armour's "Curator of Cool," and he's been dropping images left and right via his @H00dFavorite account, including pairs that might not be seen again. This was the unofficial debut of the first release colorway — note the heavy use of reflective material on the ankle collar.
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3) SO WHERE DOES THE 'BLOODLINE' NAME COME FROM ANYWAY? The biggest event in Brandon's life so far was the birth of his son, Legend. He followed a nontraditional path to the NBA — from Compton CA to Oak Hill VA to Rome, Italy and finally to Milwaukee — and the shoe attempts to tell some of that story while simultaneously looking ahead. The red line on the strap extending into the TPU plate is meant to be a literal "bloodline." On the strap you'll find a map with Rowley Park noted, the park he grew up playing in.
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4) SO IT LOOKS PRETTY SIMILAR TO THE BLACK ICE. There are some similarities, sure — makes sense since the same designer, John Humphrey, did both. The cut is somewhere between the Black Ice and the Black Ice Low, and the strap is bigger and further back, to provide more support. Oh yeah, this is the black Compton pair, which features some crazy detailing all over the upper.
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5) AND THIS WOULD BE THE RED COMPTON? Yup. I know they say "it's not where you're from, it's where you're at," but where you're from still matters. DID YOU THINK OF THAT ALL ON YOUR OWN? Uh-huh. The collar and the strap are still reflective on these, so they should really pop. YEAH, BECAUSE AN ALL-RED SHOE WOULDN'T POP ON ITS OWN. OK, fine.
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6) SO WHAT PLACE DO THESE COMMEMORATE? Nowhere, actually. The "Fifty-Fifty" is meant to demonstrate the split between professional and family — the patent toe representing the NBA, the white full-grain leather the off-court life. The "bloodline" is still there on the strap, and the perfed collar just adds another element.
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7) WELL, THOSE ARE DIFFERENT. Yeah. Well, you know, the whole "Fear The Deer" thing with the Bucks. BUT HUNTERS DON'T FEAR DEER. Er, yeah, there is that. It's part of a "The Hunters and The Hunted" theme — there's also a tan shoe made up to represent the deer, but those aren't scheduled to hit retail. Something about Brandon being both the hunter and the hunted. WHATEVER. CAMO AND ORANGE IS COOL. Right.
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8) GREEN! MUST BE FOR THE BUCKS! BIG O! Calm down there, buddy. These are actually for Rowley Park. BUT I THOUGHT THAT SPOT GOT CALLED OUT ON THE FIRST COLOR? Very good — it did. But this goes a little deeper. The green represents the surface of the court, one of three that Brandon and UA refurbished this past summer. COOL.
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9) UMMMM, McDONALD'S GAME? Good guess! SO I'M RIGHT? No. But it was still a good guess. These are the Romas, for his time with Lottomattica Virtus Roma. You might remember that Brandon was the first guy to skip college and go straight from high school to the pros — in Italy. YES, I KNOW. Good. This also gives you a better look at the outsole pattern, which is more or less an update of the grid pattern from the Black Ice.
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10) NOW WHAT ARE THOSE? Just another pair that Brandon tweeted — these had a callout to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles below the strap. REALLY? Yup. The NBA's unofficial source of carbohydrates. Obviously it's doubtful that they'll hit retail, either — but you never know. WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHETHER THERE'LL BE A SEASON. Shhh.
