Luka 3 Draws Inspired By Luka Doncic's Love For Sport Cars

Source: Jordan Brand / Luka 3

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic’s third signature sneaker has arrived right in time for the NBA Playoff push. On Monday, Jordan Brand unveiled Doncic’s new signature sneaker, the Luka 3. The Mavericks’ all-star’s latest kick takes a page out of Michael Jordan’s books when it comes to his signature kicks, being that it pays homage to Doncic’s love for sports cars, which is evident in the “Midnight Racer” and “Photo Finish” colorways. Legendary footwear designer Tinker Hatfield drew inspiration from several of Jordan’s whips when designing his kicks, so it is no surprise that the thought process continues with Doncic’s signature sneakers. While the Luka 3’s look is different, it builds off the technology featured in the previous model, featuring a mid-cut upper paired with a full-length cushion with 3.0 foam that will give Doncic and wearers a lightweight and responsive sneaker. The Luka 3 also continues the trend of focusing on the different aspects of Doncic’s stellar game. The Luka 1 focused on his stepback shot, the Luka 2 was about his iso game, and the Luka 3 locked in on his deceptive but orchestrated speed.

Per Nike:

The real-life inspiration for the Luka 3 comes from Dončić’s love for high-performance sports cars. The properties of an elite car — the motor to propel forward, the chasis for control and agility — translated to Luka’s game, where he uses speed and control to his advantage for an offensive arsenal that’s nearly impossible to guard (Part of the shoe’s design is inspired by a tire decelerating and accelerating at top speeds). The outsole features a generative herringbone pattern and is inspired by racing-tire traction. Other details are more subtle, such as the pull tabs modeled after the material of seat belts and the wavy striations on the engineered textile upper inspired by high speeds.

The Luka 3 releases in the Midnight Racer colorway on July 5 in Europe; the Photo Finish colorway releases globally on July 16. Hit the gallery below for more photos.