Following an impressive rookie season, Nike put out Victor Wembanyama’s first signature shoe. Despite minimal publicity for the release, it did not take long for it to completely sell out.
Fans who wanted to get their hands on Wembanyama’s signature shoe had to be quick, as there was only a small window of opportunity. It was later revealed on social media that the sneakers sold out in just five minutes.
Nike’s homepage backs up fans’ claim that the shoe has already sold out:
Victor Wembanyama’s shoe comes in green and black, fitting for his alien-style logo. The name of the colorway is “Apple Green and Black” and features his logo on the heel.
What stands out most from this shoe is the writing on the bottom. It reads, Be Unique Every Day. The shoe sold for $170.
The bar was set high for Wembanyama upon entering the NBA and the 7-foot-4 prospect managed to live up to expectations. Wembanyama finished the year with averages of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. With these numbers, the San Antonio Spurs big man was named Rookie of the Year.
Nike uses funny callback in Victor Wembanyama’s shoe ad
A little over a week before Victor Wembanyama’s shoe dropped, Nike released a commercial to market the young star’s logo. At a distance, it is the alien head in a huge field.
As the camera slowly pans in, the narrator is running down statistics from Wemby’s rookie season. There are also small snippets from a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks during the regular season.
Toward the end of the advertisement, a human is seen standing in the center of the logo. It ends up being a comical callback because the person is dressed as a fan of the game against the Bucks. Sitting behind the basket, the fan was impressed by what he saw from the Spurs’ big man.
The ad ends with one last wide shot of the full logo, followed by the narrator saying that “aliens are real.”
The game in the ad happened in January and marked the first time Wembanyama went head-to-head with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Both stars put together strong outings in a matchup that went down to the wire.
Wembanyama finished just shy of a double-double, recording 27 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. As for Giannis, the former MVP notched 44 points and 14 rebounds in a 125-121 win for the Bucks.
