After months of anticipation, the debut Under Armour signature sneaker for NBA superstar Joel Embiid has arrived.
The athletic giant revealed the Reggie Wilson-designed Embiid One in January to select media in Baltimore, and today, consumers are getting their best look at the performance basketball shoe. (Hoops fans will get another look at the shoe today when Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers face the Orlando Magic at 6:30 p.m. ET.)
The sneaker, Under Armour said, is “powerful enough for a big man, light enough for a guard and quick enough to run the court.”
The Embiid One is built with lightweight mesh uppers for breathability and for a locked-in feel and a pair of midsole technologies: Hovr, which is a high energy-returning compound, and strategically-placed Micro G cushioning to help with explosive movements.
The shoe will debut in the “Origin” colorway, a predominantly black look with gray outsoles and bold hits of orange and yellow throughout.
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The Under Armour Embiid One “Origin” arrives Sept. 18 in North America. It will be available on Eastbay.com, UA.com and at UA Brand Houses. A worldwide release will follow on Oct. 2. The price info, however, has not yet been revealed.
In January, the baller told select media at Under Armour’s headquarters that his signature shoe was not a given, however his play convinced the brand that he was deserving of one.
“We had conversations [about a signature shoe]. But you have to perform as an athlete; you can’t expect it,” Embiid told media in January. “I proved I deserve it and these guys [Under Armour] have a lot of faith in me.”
Under Armour announced in October 2018 that it had signed Embiid, a two-time NBA All-Star, to an endorsement deal. When the deal was revealed, the athlete said his deal was “bigger than basketball.”
“When you come to America from Africa, you almost expect that everything is going to be perfect. You expect that most people have an easy life. But when I came to Philly, I saw that there’s real poverty here, too. There’s a real struggle, too,” Embiid said in a statement at the time. “I’m going to be working on some big things with Under Armour. I got a few surprises coming for the Philly community, and for the rest of the world.”
