For Sixers center Joel Embiid, the signature UA Embiid 1 from Under Armour
Embiid will become the only center and 17th NBA player with a signature shoe.
Joel Embiid is getting a signature shoe.
The 76ers center and Under Armour announced the two-time NBA All-Star’s first signature shoe, the UA Embiid 1, at an event Tuesday in Baltimore.
The shoe will be released in the fall. Embiid will become the only NBA center and 17th player with a signature shoe.
“As a kid, I never could have dreamed of being in this situation with my own signature shoe,” Embiid said. "The process has been incredible with the work that’s been put in. Not a lot of guys in my profession get this opportunity, and I’m truly grateful for it.
“I can’t wait to debut it on the court.”
The sneakers will honor his native Cameroon, with the yellow, red, and green colors of the country’s flag. The name of his brother, Arthur, who passed away in 2014, is inscribed in the shoe. And the bottom of the sneaker features a design in the shape of Africa.
“Early on in the design process, Joel shared that he thought his life was like a movie,” said Reggie Wilson, Under Armour’s senior footwear designer. "And, like movies, all basketball careers have origin stories.
“Since Joel’s story began in Cameroon, that was the creative focus of our first colorway, Origin.”
Embiid will miss his fourth straight game on Wednesday. He had surgery Friday to repair a torn ligament in his left ring finger. The procedure typically requires a month of healing, followed by several weeks of physical therapy, sports medicine specialists say.
Embiid said he had a doctor’s checkup on Monday. He did not wear a cast on his left hand while addressing the media during the event. Instead, the 25-year-old had his middle finger and ring finger taped together. However, a video shows Embiid wearing what appeared to be a soft cast while exiting a private plane in Baltimore.