words_Brandon Richard
After blowing out his knee before ever stepping on the court for a regular season game, Blake Griffin seemed to be another victim of that dreaded Clippers curse. However, a year of hard work and rehab put him back on the right track, and he's now enjoying the finest rookie campaign that we've seen in years. He's no longer Blake Griffin - he's the Blake Show, the most exciting in-game dunker in the league.
With Griffin being a nightly highlight reel, it's no surprise that his entry into the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest has made this year's event the most anticipated since Vince Carter came through and crushed the buildings. He's ready to confront the high expectations head on, and will do so in a pair of Nikes that have never hit the court before.
Showing the confidence and excitement they feel for Griffin, Nike has chosen to debut the Hyperdunk 2011 on the feet of the rookie phenom in tonight's Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. Griffin's Player Exclusive features a red Flywire-embedded synthetic upper, black Swoosh logos and grey glow-in-the-dark detailing the ankle, heel counter and outsole. The Dunk Contest personalization comes in the form of "10.0" earthquake graphics on the outsole, similar to what we saw used for his Dunk Contest t-shirt.
According to CNBC's Darren Rovell, the Blake Hyperdunk 2011 PE isn't expected to release, but we'll see the actual model hit stores this summer.
via Darren Rovell & Nike Basketball
