New Balance unveils first look at Kawhi Leonard’s debut game shoe https://www.boston.com/sports/nba/2019/02/15/new-balance-kawhi-leonard-sneakers
Nike overall and UA are good shoes so this is really unfortunate for Zion as we have never seen that happen in a game. But even Paul George was like "Yo Nike..what the fuck you doin to my shoes..." http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...-went-wrong-pg-25-shoe-zion-williamson-injury
"The shoe drops on Nike stock" Nike stock market value plunges by $1.1bn after basketball star Zion Williamson’s shoe breaks Zion Williamson was injured after footwear ripped apart during match being watched by millions https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...e-devils-north-california-stock-a8791476.html
Shoe blowout produces face-to-face meeting between Duke and Nike https://www.wralsportsfan.com/gravl...-face-meeting-between-duke-and-nike/18209034/ Officials from Duke and Nike met face-to-face in Durham a day after the Nike shoe worn by Zion Williamson ripped apart. A Duke official told WRAL that it was a "private meeting between two long-time partners." The school has had an exclusive agreement with Nike since 1992 and their current contract runs through 2027. The frightening image of the Nike shoe blowout came to life in the most watched basketball game of the year, North Carolina's 16-point win at Duke Wednesday night. Thursday morning Nike produced this statement. ""We are obviously concerned and want to wish Zion a speedy recovery. The quality and performance of our products are of utmost importance. While this is an isolated occurrence, we are working to identify the issue." There was no way Nike was going to let one of their top clients chew on just a statement. Phone calls and their trip to Durham followed. The shoe Williamson was wearing is the PG 2.5s. It's a custom brand of Nike's named for Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George. "I talked to Nike to see what went wrong, what happened with the shoe and I take pride in that." George said a day after the blowout. "My shoes have been a successful shoe not only in college but in the NBA." Multiple times in the interview, George expressed his concern for the health of Williamson. Late Thursday afternoon, Duke basketball released a statement saying that Williamson "is progressing as expected, and his status is day-to-day." He has a Grade 1 right knee sprain which is the least serious of the three grades of knee sprains. According to medical web-sites, Grade 1 sprains may involve some stretching or fraying of the ligament fibers and it takes the least amount of time to heal. Williamson will aggressively rehab the knee to get back as soon as he can. There have been many to suggest that the potential number 1 pick in the NBA draft should shut down his college career to protect himself. He will make that decision, but I would be more shocked if he ended his Duke career now instead of re-joining his team once healthy enough. No matter what slot he is selected in the June NBA Draft, Zion Williamson will be one of the most marketable players. A year ago, he may not have been. But his value has skyrocketed as more people have seen his game and viewed his personality while playing for Duke. That's a year of free marketing that will pay huge, financial dividends for Williamson. It will be an interesting race to see which shoe company lands the high-flying Zion. Nike is doing all it can to repair the damage of an embarrassing situation that left a shoe in shreds but luckily not an ACL.