Kristaps Porzingis has emerged as one of the brightest young stars in the NBA. Although he’s still only 23 years old, Porzingis is the face of one of the most renowned franchises in sports and has established himself as a legitimately marketable player. Despite still recovering from a torn ACL this season, Porzingis and Adidas recently debuted a new PE version of the Pro Bounce Mid. The shoe features Knicks-friendly colors and a wild unicorn graphic on the outsole, but to hear Porzingis tell it, it's only the beginning of what could come with the Three Stripes.
We chatted with Porzingis at Adidas to talk about his new shoe and a possible signature sneaker in the future. The New York big man said that while he hasn't spent too much time on court in the Pro Bounce Mid, he appreciates the improvements made from his previous model of choice, the Crazy Explosive 17. "I think it's one of my favorite models of all time, [along] with the previous one before this. It was a nice shoe and then they came out with this one, this one also had a really good feel to it and I was happy with it," he said of the new model.
As for taking the next step to his own signature sneaker, Porzingis says it's a goal he's working towards once he's feeling healthy. "You know it's a big deal goal for me," he said. "I want to do it with Adidas and I think it would be a special collab. I'm glad and looking forward to that and it's in my hands to play well and get back to that level that I was at and then everything is possible at the future."
But if and when a sig model materializes, don't expect anything too outlandish—at least not right from the jump. Instead, think something along the lines of his current PEs with simple colors and stand-out details. "I'm a simple guy," Porzingis said. "I like white, black, classic whatever, but sometimes I'm going to do something crazy also."
Porzingis says there's currently no timetable for his possible return, but it sounds like fans will want to keep eye on his feet once he's back in action.
