Ummm, Nike has a (Zion) shoe problem
Things come full circle as Chaudee Brown blew out his Nike Zion 1s. source: Getty Images Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. An uber-athletic basketball player blows through his Jordans during a televised game.
This isn’t déjà vu, it’s what happened to Chaundee Brown on Wednesday night during a Summer League game. That’s right, a dude playing basketball in Zion Williamson’s shoes blew through them — just like Zion did.
When Williamson blew through his Nike-made PG (Paul George) 2.5’s in 2019 within the first minute of the Duke/North Carolina game, it led to a knee injury that shook the basketball world. It also led to him signing a 7-year, $75 million shoe deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand, as you would figure the company had to do right by him.
“I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of the Jordan Brand family,” Williamson said about the deal. “Since I was a kid, I dreamed of making it to the league and having the type of impact on the game Michael Jordan had and continues to have today. He was one of those special athletes I looked up to.”
What happened to Brown on Wednesday night wasn’t supposed to happen, especially since Nike made sure Williamson had some custom Kyrie 4s when he returned to the court at Duke.
Listed at 6-foot-7 and weighing 284 pounds, Williamson has always been an athletic wonder given his body type, strength, and explosiveness. So, when the shoes gave out, it kind of made sense that a normal basketball shoe wouldn’t work for a basketball player that the game has never seen.
But Brown?
He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 215 pounds. Of all people, Williamson’s shoes should work just fine for him.
“Gotta keep playing no matter what,” Brown tweeted after the game. But there’s no word on which shoes Brown will “keep playing” in from here on out.
The Zion 1’s are going for $120 right now on Nike.com. Something tells me they’ll be on sale soon.
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