If you were watching NBA action Monday, you may have spotted your favorite baller wearing an all-black Nike shoe. The monochromatic look was the brand’s nod to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
According to Nike, sponsored players — including LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas — wore all-black player’s editions of some of the brand’s latest and greatest court-ready kicks as a celebration of the late civil rights activist and the principles of equality and service he stood for.
The brand also confirmed the choice to go with black monochromatic colorways was a partnered effort between Nike Basketball and Jordan Brand.
The Nike shoes that featured an all-black look included the LeBron 14, the Zoom KD 9, the Kyrie 3, the Kobe A.D., the Zoom LeBron Soldier 10, the Hyperdunk 2016, the Air Max Audacity, the Zoom Rev 2017 and the Zoom Live 2017.
Watch on FN
For Jordan Brand, the looks featuring the black color palette included the Air Jordan XXXI (which were worn by Russell Westbrook), the CP3.X, the Extra.Fly, the Melo M13 and the Super.Fly 5 PO.
Although fans of Nike and the players wearing the kicks may want to add these to their collections, that won’t be possible: The brand confirmed the shoes are not coming to retail. Nike also confirmed that these sneakers are not part of its annual Black History Month collection.
