adidas N3XT L3V3L 2020 Mixes Past, Present and Future

With its ultra-high cut, adidas Basketball‘s N3XT L3V3L was an instant head turner when it debuted in 2018, but somehow its recently unveiled second iteration — the N3XT L3V3L 2020 — is even more striking. Combining pieces from adidas‘s past, present and future, the N3XT L3V3L instantly becomes one of the most unusual silhouettes in the Trefoil’s hoops lineup. It’s debuted in three colorways: “Glory Red/Bold Gold,” “Legend Ink/Sky Tint” and “Grey Two/Grey Three.”

Towering sock-like uppers are back for another go-around, using an adaptive knit material that both moves with and supports the wearer’s foot. Branding has been moved, with a rubberized Three Stripe graphic on the toebox and extra embellishment on tongue and heel tabs alike. The rest of the upper and much of the midsole, however, seem to draw heavy inspiration from the Crazy BYW.

A piece of soft foam rises up from the lateral midfoot to provide extra support on the upper, with lateral and medial mudguards alike bringing further structure to the design. Midsoles use a BYW-esque three-pod design built with responsive LIGHTSTRIKE cushioning, one of the Three Stripes’ newest performance innovations. Two-tone outsoles with wavy traction patterns round off the style.

“Glory Red/Bold Gold” equips a black base that’s interwoven with red towards the heel and gold on the forefoot, plus red and white midsoles. “Legend Ink/Sky Tint” and “Grey Two/Grey Three” are much more subtle, sticking almost entirely to their namesake hues — save for a white midsole on the former.

All three styles are available via adidas UK now, and are priced at $130 USD.

For more from the German footwear juggernaut, check out how the UltraBOOST saved adidas’s lifestyle products.