Nike Officially Unveils Devin Booker’s Nike Book 2

When Nike calls you to Beaverton, you don’t think; you head to the airport. So when the good people at the Swoosh reached out to invite us out for the unveiling of Devin Booker’s next signature sneaker, the Book 2, we didn’t think twice. We packed our bags and caught the next flight out to Portland.

Sole Retriever touched down in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by the unreal scenery and the iconic Phillip H. Knight Campus, a place overflowing with Nike history, innovation, and lore. But before getting lost in everything the Swoosh has to offer, we had to lock in on the mission: learn everything we could about the Book 2 and get a first look at the sneaker itself, delivered straight from Devin Booker, who personally showed us the shoe.

Some context: Devin Booker dropped his first signature sneaker with Nike, the Nike Book 1, nearly two years ago, with the first colorway coming in February 2024. Prior to that, Book debuted the sneaker at the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season, meaning we’ve had our eyes on the model for over two years at this point. Not only that, but there have been more than 30 different colorways of the sneaker. Many online think it’s overstayed its welcome, but that’s besides the point. Devin’s Book 2 has finally been unveiled.

Our best and most detailed look (you can’t really count the blurred out test pair Booker wore over the summer), the Nike Book 2 really leans into the “chapter” theme started on the Book 1. This “chapter 2” is a continuation of one of Booker’s main philosophies of creating a “future classic.” Where the Book 1 drew inspo from vintage Nike Basketball models like the Air Force 1, Blazer, and Jordan 1, the Book 2’s main design motif is taken from the Christian Tresser-designed Nike Zoom Air Spiridon. In a broader sense, the silo also takes inspiration from skateboarding and vintage cars, the latter being one of Book’s hobbies outside of basketball.

Devin worked closely with Nike designers, including Book 1 designer Ben Nethongkome, to ensure that the sneaker felt modern but classic at the same time. The low-profile design features a full-length Cushlon 3.0 foam midsole, a forefoot Zoom Air unit, and a foam sockliner for a cushioned on-court experience. The model doesn’t shy away from its influences, proudly wearing them on its sleeve. Well, technically on the upper and the outsole, with the latter derived from the Air Force 1. A sun-dappled herringbone traction serves as a shout-out to Phoenix, even going as far as to replace the stars on the toe with cactus needles and tiny asterisks drawn by Devin himself.

As for the upper, the Air Zoom Spiridon’s webbed mesh is featured directly on two colorways, but others use a molded upper that gives it a modern aesthetic while still providing a locked-in fit. Why the Spiridon? Devin told us at Nike HQ, “I’ve always loved the shoe.” He also looked to Nike SB team rider Nyjah Huston’s second sneaker for design inspo. “It’s a combination. You see the Air Force 1 outsole, there’s bits and pieces I just find from shoes that I’ve loved.”

Booker also emphasized the importance of being able to wear the shoe off the court, “I know a lot of people have tried to transcend the court, and you see them wearing them out and it looks like you’re wearing a basketball shoe. That was the top of every conversation. ‘I do not want to lose the integrity of being able to wear this off court and in the streets.'” Another thing that Book and the Nike design team emphasized was the "trimming the fat" from the original. When Sole Retriever asked Ben Nethongkome what differences there were between the Book 1 and Book 2, he said they, “Continu[ed] to reduce the fat, but maintain[ed] the performance needs for him on the court."

The first two colorways of the Book 2 directly pay homage to Phoenix and the Suns franchise, with one pair opting for a molded upper and tonal black finish alongside a gradient orange Swoosh and a cracked lava midsole. This pair mimics the rising of a phoenix from the ashes, a storyline that will start with the final Book 1 release. The second rendition is a fiery orange that clearly leans into the Phoenix Suns' color palette, as well as the phoneix rising theme. “With the early styles, I wanted to pay homage to Phoenix by starting with orange and black for the Phoenix and Rising colorways, giving fans something to rock at each game,” said Book.

The Nike Book 2 will debut in the Phoenix and Rising colorways in January 2026 and be released via Nike and select retailers. Check below for in-hand and official shots of the first two renditions, and keep it locked to the Sole Retriever mobile app for real-time release updates on the latest sneakers.

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy attending concerts and catching the latest movies. Email: nick@soleretriever.com