words // Brandon Richard
Back in January, the decision was made to shift John Wall from Reebok Basketball to parent company adidas, with Reebok turning its attention more toward retro and retro-inspired footwear. Wall made his season debut in early January wearing the Top Ten 2000, which he'd continue to lace up for about two months.
On March 6, Wall debuted an all-new silo called the Crazyquick in an adidas match-up against Ricky Rubio and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Wall was positioned as the model's lead and his special Player Edition colorway was made available to the public at launch.
Something interesting happened when Wall changed over to the Crazyquick — he played the best basketball of his career. For years, companies have linked sneakers to improved performance, but have rarely had the stats to back up their claims. For Wall, modest averages 14 points, 7 assists and 3 rebounds in 25 games pre-Crazyquick. However, after making the switch, star-like numbers of 24 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds in the final 24 games. That included a career-high 47 points against Memphis in March.
Is it the shoes or did Wall just turn the corner? We can't be 100% sure, but as the great philosopher Shawn Corey Carter once stated, "Men lie, women lie, numbers don't." Behind the numbers, a case can be made for the Crazyquick.
Check out the Wall Performance Infographic below courtesy of johnwall2.com and stop by adidas.com to pick up the Crazyquick.
