Nike : Meet Kyrie Irving’s New Design Partner and His Latest Signature Shoe
December 15, 2017 at 12:07 pm EST
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On December 4, Benjamin Nethongkome is seated in row 3, seat 1, behind the Celtics bench at Boston's TD Bank Garden. It's the first time he has seen his muse, Kyrie Irving, live. 'The electricity, the fandom…this is an incredible reminder of how many people love him,' he says.
The designer, who was born in Thailand and moved to Miami at age 10, spends a lot of time watching Irving. In 2016, after nine years of working on a variety of basketball projects, Nethongkome was given the nod to take the helm of Irving's signature line. Since then, he's followed every in-game step - even going so far as to pirate game feeds through Reddit when all other options fail.
This night, Nethongkome's first time at the Garden, is appropriately special. Irving is thrilling everyone in the arena. His game, which Nethongkome describes as 'predictable and unpredictable at the same time, like a pin ball,' is on full display. He's directing the offense one possession, finding the tightest of seams to drive to the basket, and the next roaming the wing patiently in an off-guard position. Masked, in protection of the facial fracture suffered on November 10, Irving scores 19 in the second half. A 27-foot straightaway three late in the fourth brings his overall tally to 32, effectively ices the contest and prompts an exuberant, face guard-removing celebration.
Nike Inc. published this content on 15 December 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 15 December 2017 17:06:04 UTC.
Original documenthttps://news.nike.com/news/kyrie-4
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