Team USA is set to defend their championship title at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. And as the team continues to train for the upcoming tournament, a variety of sneakers were seen on the NBA stars, which are expected to help boost sales in the coming months.
Expectedly, many of these featured the USA colors -- red, white and blue. According to Nicekicks.com, Nike is the official apparel and equipment supplier of the United States basketball team but a total of five shoe brands were featured during training camp namely, Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas, Anta and Under Armour.
Nike is endorsed by stars Kevin Durant, Paul George, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. The returning Derrick Rose and Damian Lillard are the faces of Adidas. Chandler Parsons represented Anta, and Stephen Curry showcased Under Amour. In the past tournament, Jordan Brand was represented by Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook; but now, it is displayed by newest endorser Andre Drummond,
In a report by Foot Basket, Kevin Durant, the reigning NBA MVP, was seen wearing the USA colorway of the Nike KD7, which was released earlier in July 2014. DeMarcus Cousins wore the USA colorway of the new Nike LeBron Zoom Soldier 8. John Wall wore his first signature shoe with Adidas, while Kenneth Faried also wore adidas. Stephen Curry wore the new Under Armour pair, ClutchFit Drive, in its USA colorway. Anthony Davis wore the new Hyperposite, while Paul George featured the new 2014 Nike Hyperdunk Low. Andre Drummond wore the Air Jordan 28 SE and Derrick Rose showcased his latest Adidas signature shoe, the D Rose 5 Boost.
Since LeBron James was sitting out the FIBA tournament, he gave a shoutout to DeMarcus Cousins instead for wearing his secondary shoe line.
Also, in an article by Sneaker Report, the new Hyperposite appeared to be much lighter than its predecessor and still included the 360-degree air max unit for ultimate cushioning.
The Pure Boost technology incorporated in Derrick Rose's new shoes has been getting a lot of positive reviews as well. Curry has also been very good in representing Under Armour. Curry moved on from the Anatomix Spawn to the new ClutchFit Drive, which provides great traction and lockdown for smaller players like him.
The most versatile shoe in the Nike line, the Hyperdunk 2014 has been widely anticipated by sneaker collectors and players. Its predecessor was the preferred shoe of other international basketball teams worldwide. As for the LBJ Zoom Soldier 8, it still includes the Zoom cushioning technology which makes it ideal for power forwards and centers.