Which player wore the best sneakers at NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago?
Over the past 18 months, Kawhi Leonard and New Balance had been quietly targeting the debut of the reigning Finals MVP’s first signature shoe for All-Star Weekend in Chicago. Leonard’s namesake model, simply dubbed The Kawhi, features multiple details specific to the current face of the company. It features his “KL2” logo along the tongue and a brain matter design throughout the upper and outsole grip, speaking to Leonard’s cerebral game. His signature is stitched along the heel, and a soundwave graphic — believed to depict the pitch of his viral laugh from last season’s introductory news conference — accents the collar.
After a two-year-long period leading up to the relaunch of New Balance Basketball, Leonard emerged as the right endorser to carry not just his own sneaker, but the pressure of carrying the entire company’s return to the sport.
“We wanted someone who wanted to take on the responsibility of being the face of a brand and truly launching a global brand,” said Pat Cassidy, New Balance’s global director of consumer marketing. “That’s something that he was looking for.”
With the debut of The Kawhi at All-Star Weekend, Leonard becomes just the 17th player across the league to have his own signature shoe. Wearing the shoe on court for the first time, Leonard scored 30 points in Sunday night’s All-Star Game, capping a big weekend for New Balance. The company’s collaboration capsule with Chicago native Joe Freshgoods was well received, with Chance the Rapper wearing “JFG” 992 sneakers during his All-Star halftime performance, and kids lining up at the brand’s first All-Star Weekend pop-up shop.