We’ve all heard the stories of Giannis sharing shoes with his older brother Thanasis during basketball games as a child. Crazy, right? This fact alone makes it unimaginable to think that the MVP from Greece now earns $9 million annually from his Nike deal. But there’s more to it than that. Last year, we couldn’t contain our excitement when the news broke that Giannis would become the first foreign-born player to get a signature shoe, the Nike Zoom Freak 1.
We heard rumblings that Giannis might debut the sneakers — Nike’s Zoom Freak 1 — during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors, but he stuck with his usual Nike Kobe AD Exodus player exclusives — the most popular Nike PE (this means player exclusive) from last year. This was no surprise as Giannis has been wearing Kobe AD models for the past few seasons. From his “Cream City” PE to the fan-favorite, hunting-themed, orange camouflage kicks, Giannis pulled out all the stops last year in the Kobes.
NIKE’S ZOOM FREAK 1 RELEASE
In 2019, however, Giannis isn’t wearing anyone’s sneakers but his own. His signature line finally dropped this summer on a release tour in his hometown of Athens. Giannis, alongside his three brothers — Thanasis, Kostas and Alex — took to Greece to launch the Zoom Freak 1 and share some awesome colorways with the world.
So far this season, Giannis has been wearing colorways available to the public. We’ve seen Giannis in the classic black Freak 1, the movie-themed “Coming to America” version, the ‘Roses’ colorway and the awesome ‘Alphabet Soup’ model in a few different colors.
We know that Giannis will be bringing the absolute heat with the Freak 1 colorways this season, but what’s equally as exciting is the support he has been getting from stars across the NBA. That said, we thought we’d take a look at a few guys, including some teammates, who seem to be loving the Freak 1s as much as we are.
KOSTAS ANTETOKOUNMPO
Kostas is running with the Lakers this year, so he obviously had to mix in a sweet purple and gold colorway for the start of the season.
TYLER HERRO
Milwaukee’s own Tyler Herro is showing some love to Giannis early this season by wearing the ‘Coming to America’ Freak 1.
DE’AARON FOX
Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox, who is gaining traction as a notable sneakerhead across the league, recently took to the court in a purple and gray pair of the Freak 1s.
JORDAN CLARKSON
Cavs guard Jordan Clarkson seems to be loving the ‘Coming to America’ Freak 1s, much like Tyler Herro in Miami.
D’ANGELO RUSSELL
The Warriors prized off-season addition and 2018 All-Star D’Angelo Russell was spotted in the ‘Roses’ colorway for media day in San Francisco.
GEORGE HILL
Bucks fan-favorite George Hill was spotted in pre-season workouts wearing the orange and blue, hunting-themed colorway of the Freak 1.
KYLE KORVER
Giannis is definitely showing some love to teammates, as we’ve seen Kyle Korver in a number of Freak 1 colorways so far this season.
PAT CONNAUGHTON
Bucks shooting guard Pat Connaughton, who typically steps on the court wearing the Jordan Brand, repped the ‘Roses’ Freak 1s at USA Basketball camp this past summer.
It’s uncertain whether the Bucks will reach their over/under for wins this year, but we do know that it’s been a hot start to the season for the Giannis signature sneaker. And we’re expecting some fire colorways from Giannis himself as the 2019-20 season grows older. Stay tuned for updates.
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