The story behind James Harden’s 'Manila Heritage' shoes
MANILA, Philippines — When the Brooklyn Nets took on the Boston Celtics on Friday (Saturday in Manila), with the latter winning 125-119 to slice the former’s hitherto 2-0 lead to one in Game Three of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, James Harden wore a basketball shoe that had Filipino hoops fans raving.
Harden was wearing his adidas Volume 5 basketball shoe — albeit with a twist.
The former MVP's kicks bore the Philippine flag’s colors and certain design elements indigent to the country.
This is because the Harden Volume 5 “Manila Heritage” edition was designed by noted Filipino toy designer Juanito "Quiccs" Maiquez who was surprised that Harden had worn the shoe this early.
"I didn’t know when he would wear it but when friends and people from adidas began calling and messaging to say I have to watch the game between Brooklyn and Boston, I got excited and happy for I had dreamt of this day," said Quiccs. "My sister on the other hand, freaked out."
The top secret shoe was a year and a half in the making.
"It is one of the earliest projects Adidas put on my timeline since we began our collaboration," shared Quiccs.
"The initial design process took about two weeks then it was another month of going back and forth with revisions," he added.
Aside from the blue, red, yellow, and white colors in the shoe, there is also the “+63” that signifies the country code for phone calls to further add Filipino flavor.
There is also the date 06-26-19 that calls back to Harden’s last visit to Manila where he promised Filipino fans that he will be wearing a shoe specifically designed for the Filipino basketball fan.
Quiccs’ toy brand logo as well as his name likewise appears on the shoe. "Of course, I had to zip my mouth since this was all top secret," Quiccs quipped.
That is until Harden surprised everyone by wearing the shows last Saturday.
"I have always been a fan of James Harden since his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder," he said.
"As much as I wanted Harden to stay with the Thunder, it made sense for him to move to Houston where he became a star. So adidas asking me to work on this project is a dream come true. How often do you get asked to work on a shoe that will be worn by one of your favorite athletes?," he added.
The Harden Volume 5 "Manila Heritage" will be on sale in this coming Independence Day, June 12, at all adidas stores.
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