Nike releases PH-inspired shoe dubbed ‘Agimat’
Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippine Men’s National Basketball team, is currently dominating the on-going Southeast Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) Championships. Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James is recently did much the same to the Toronto Raptors in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Playoff match-up.
With all that action going on, it may be hard to spot the one thing that these performances have in common, but there were a few that did: both King James and a couple of the Gilas players wore the same sneakers.
ICYMI. Some of the Gilas players will don the new LeBron 14 Agimat during the SEABA Championships./IMAGE Nike PH via Inquirer.net
We understand you won’t be glued to the TV watching player’s shoes, but it’s something that you don’t want to miss.
THE KING’S AGIMAT. The LeBron 14s are inspired by James’ recent visit to the country./IMAGE Nike PH via Inquirer.net
The LeBron 14 Agimat was inspired by James’ recent visit to the country. It “celebrates the fearless passion of Pinoy ballers,” according to Niké’s microsite. The word agimat is the Filipino term for an amulet or charm that offers good fortune and protection, and is at the heart of Filipino magic and sorcery.
LINKS TO PH. A mountain, MNL, and the flame further solidify the links to the Philippines./IMAGE Titan
Graphics on the shoe are inspired by traditional woven fabrics in the country. A little less obvious, however, are the details on the shoe’s tongue: a mountain (symbolizing the country’s terrain and James’ climb to the top of the NBA), the letters MNL (a shout out to Manila), and a flame (homage to the country’s volcanoes and James’ passion for the game).
FOR GREATNESS. As another tribute to the Philippines, the words Para Sa Kadakilaan (For Greatness) are printed at the heel notch and the heel portion of the insole. /IMAGES Titan
If you want to cop your own pair of LeBron 14s, you’d best be ready for its Philippine release on May 20 (ahead of its global release) at Titan Fort, Titan22.com, and Nike Park in BGC and Glorietta 4 with P8,895 in hand.
Source: Nike, Titan, Spin.PH, Slam Philippines, Inquirer.net, Rappler, ABS-CBN Sports
