Cameroonian Center Joel Embiid is one of the most dominant forces to play basketball today. Considering his very short history with the game, only picking it up at age 15, it’s extremely interesting seeing Embiid emerge as one of the best bigs in the game today. While he has struggled this season and is currently injured, Embiid shall be the next NBA athlete to get a signature shoe. Currently signed to Under Armor, Embiid will become the only center in the league at the moment to have his own signature shoe.
Embiid who has been on Under Armor’s roster since 2018 will join a small list of sixteen elite talents with their own signature shoe.
#UAEmbiid1 @underarmour the only way is through pic.twitter.com/VKyJegsgMj
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 14, 2020
“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.”
Officially dubbed the Under Armour Embiid 1, Embiid’s shoes will mark Under Armor’s third signature shoe with only Brandon Jennings and Steph Curry commanding their own lines since the company launched a basketball footwear line in 2010.
Embiid isn’t the first African center to get his own signature shoe. Back in 1992, Dikembe Mutombo’s Mutombo signature edition basketball shoe was released by adidas and Hakeem Olajuwon’s 1995 deal with Spalding saw him earn probably the cheapest signature shoe ever in “The Dream” which retailed at $34.99.
With an outline of Africa on the heel, seeing as it is the first point of contact for anyone wearing it is being reported that Embiid will also pay homage to Cameroon with ‘Origin,’ the first colorway for the shoe.
Story sourced from ESPN