What Are People Saying About Nike's Self-Lacing Basketball Sneaker?

First reactions to Nike's Adapt BB Self-Lacing Basketball Sneaker

Nike grabbed the world's attention this morning when it officially unveiled the Adapt BB, its first auto-lacing basketball sneaker, at a keynote event at the brand's headquarters in New York City. The shoes themselves operate from two buttons on the side that either tighten or loosen the laceless low-top sneakers, or they can also be controlled via an app on your phone.

The sneakers will retail for $350 and Nike's VP Creative Director of Innovation, Eric Avar, says that the technology will trickle down into other sports and lifestyle.

This isn't the first time Nike has made an auto-lacing sneaker. As we remember, the HyperAdapt 1.0 released in 2017, and Nike also made an auto-lacing version of the Nike Mag sneaker from Back to the Future: Part II in 2016.

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is set to debut the sneakers.

Now that that's out of the way, what are people saying about the shoes?

Here's Tinker Hatfield, the man behind the Mag, breaking them down for you.

And what's life without your clueless father, I mean Darren Rovell, showing you how they work, too?

Here's someone who writes about gadgets for a living talking about them.

Here's a hapless, tech-challenged person, much like myself, talking about them, too.

One of the more interesting tidbits that came out of the event is that Nike had to warn the TSA, if anyone is currently working there, about the shoes.

Here's Russ Bengtson, the Godfather of sneaker journalism, giving his take on the Adapt BB.

Others hope this will push toymaker Mattel to make the actual hoverboard from Back to the Future.

The most interesting reaction and conversation about the shoes, however, was between Anthony Racaniello, who works for sneaker retailer Lapstone & Hammer, and Damian Rodriguez, who works for Jordan Brand. See it below.

The future is hard to accept for a lot of people. Me? I'll just take a pair of suede shoes with a rubber sole and laces and be content for the rest of my life. But the future of the sportswear industry is rooted in innovation. Even the holes in the side of your Stan Smiths once served an athletic-driven purpose. To discredit what Nike's doing with its Adapt technology is a battle you'll never win. We're just slowly waiting for the day when we don't need sneakers anymore, because we've all been replaced by robots.