Uncategorized

Nike Zoom Freak 1 'Coming to America' (Photo Credit: Nike)

Look, even if Milwaukee Bucks superstar and recent first-time MVP award-winner Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first signature shoe were utter garbage I’d probably still wear it. The kid is the reigning Sweetest Boy in Basketball and I will support anything and everything he does on general principal. Watch this video and tell me I’m wrong.

Luckily, Giannis’s first signature shoe is far from utter garbage — in fact, it’s pretty dope. The Nike Freak 1 is a low-cut stunner featuring sleek modest design anchored by an already-classic giant reversed swoosh built into the heel. It’s a rock-solid first signature shoe that immediately distinguishes itself from the rest of Nike’s signature line — no small feat in the world of basketball shoes.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

You know I had to reveal these in NYC! Launching 8/2. ? Nike Air Zoom Freak 1 Coming to America.

A post shared by Giannis Antetokounmpo (@giannis_an34) on Jul 15, 2019 at 1:15pm PDT

The shoe debuted last month with three initial colorways: a simple black and white, a sleek white and red, and a flashy multicolor. However, just a couple of weeks after debuting the shoe, Nike has played the ace up their sleeve: the Freak 1 ‘Coming To America’ edition.

If his last name didn’t tip you off, Giannis isn’t from around here. He hails from Athens, Greece, with his journey to basketball royalty from the small Athens neighborhood of Sepolia providing a compelling and unique narrative in the modern basketball landscape. It also provides part of the inspiration behind the Freak 1’s collaboration with Paramount Pictures to make the Coming to America crossover happen.

The 1988 Eddie Murphy classic follows the Crown Prince of Zamuda (no, it’s not a real place) Akeem Joffer as he travels to America in search of true love rather than submit to the arranged marriage his parents have organized for him.

(Photo Credit: Nike)

The colorway is built from a black and gold base with a subtle leopard print upper (a nod to Prince Akeem’s costuming in the movie), as well as a plush tongue with the official Coming to America logo emblazoned on it. The heels feature a big golden Nike swoosh. Details don’t stop at the shoe itself, though. The box comes in a metallic gold with red accents and instead of packing paper, the box is filled with pink rose petals, another allusion to the film. Each box will also include a card featuring a Coming to America-inspired illustration of Giannis.

Alongside the shoe Nike will be releasing a range of clothing featuring the same black/gold/leopard-print color scheme. The range includes a track jacket, basketball shorts, a tee shirt, and a hat.

Whether you’re a fan of Giannis or Eddie Murphy’s particular brand of comedy, the Nike Freak 1 ‘Coming to America’ is a can’t-miss for sneakerheads this year. You can catch the shoe and range of clothing on August 2. Keep an eye on the Nike SNKRS app for more details.

More on Geek.com:

• Nike x ‘Stranger Things’ Collection Goes Back to the Summer of ’85
• Nike’s Newest Air Max 97 Is Inspired by the Nintendo 64
• Best Shoes of 2019 (So Far) For Sneaker Geeks

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. These elements are known to kick off the beginning of episodes of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and its sequel series, The Legend of Korra. While fans everywhere seem to know Avatar Aang and Avatar Korra, they also know that there were many other avatars preceding them, […]

In an interview with CNBC, America’s first black billionaire and the founder of BET, Robert L. Johnson weighed in on what he sees as problems with the Democratic Party.

“The party in my opinion, for me personally, has moved too far to the left,” he said an interview on the network. “And for that reason, I don’t have a particular candidate (I’m supporting) in the party at this time. I think at the end of the day, if a Democrat is going to beat Trump, then that person, he or she, will have to move to the center and you can’t wait too long to do that.”

In the interview, Bob Johnson described himself as a “long-time centrist and Democrat,” who supported Hilary Clinton in 2016. He also urged people after Trump’s election to give the new president “a shot” and “the benefit of the doubt.”

Johnson also said that the economy was currently “doing great” and that he gives President Trump “a lot of credit for moving the economy in a positive direction that’s benefiting a large amount of Americans.”

Currently, Johnson is the founder and chairman of The RLJ Cos., a portfolio of companies with holdings in several industries, including the RLJ McLarty Landers Holdings L.L.C., the highest-earning black-owned auto company with revenues of $1.8 billion and ranked No.1 on the 2019 BE Auto 40 list of the nation’s largest black-owned businesses, Black Enterprise‘s annual “BE100s” list.

In 2000, he sold Black Entertainment Television, a company he launched in 1979, for $3 billion to media giant Viacom, which made him the nation’s first black billionaire. Under Johnson’s ownership, BET became the first black-owned company on the New York Stock Exchange.

Since selling BET, he has invested in other business ventures. He showed his proficiency as a serial entrepreneur when he paid $300 million in 2003 to acquire the National Basketball Association’s Charlotte Bobcats expansion team. The transaction was huge as it made Johnson the first black majority owner of a major professional sports team.

Johnson’s deal shattered ownership barriers when it came to a black businessman operating in that realm, though at the time, the NBA had a player base that was roughly 80% black. He sold most of his shares of the team to Michael Jordan in 2010.

Last year, Johnson said he was racially profiled at a 5-star luxury hotel in West Palm Beach.

The Lion King roars back into cinemas on July 19th–this time painstakingly brought to life by Iron Man, Chef, and Jungle Book maestro, Jon Favreau. Are we feeling the love tonight? Or is this one stuck in the elephant graveyard? Find out by watching our NOC’s review of the movie here: