words & images // Angel Navedo
With the dust settled following Jordan Brand’s official Melo M8 unveil last week, phase two kicked into high gear at Harlem’s House of Hoops yesterday when Carmelo Anthony arrived to officially launch his latest signature sneaker.
Faces pressed against the glass outside the store while Knicks fans and Anthony admirers alike gathered inside for a glimpse at the 6’8” star forward. Screams bounced off the HOH walls and outside onto 125th Street before Jadakiss could finish introducing Melo.
Kiss hosted the conversation, asking Anthony about the Melo M8 design and his deep involvement in the process.
“This time, I dedicated the shoe to my game,” Anthony explained. “The way I start, the way I stop — playing strong and powerful. I’m in there for the design from day one.”
The chrome blue color scheme was all him, as was the inclusion of a Max Air unit for added cushioning. But the specific materials – including a lightweight, synthetic patent leather and the Flywire upper – were all developed based on his requests for a lighter shoe.
That’s consistent with everything M8 designer Justin Taylor said at the Nike World Headquarters for the official launch early last week. While the rand from toe box to ankle is about improving support, the designed dips are cosmetic touches inspired by Melo’s explosive and powerful style.
"This is a shoe New York could be proud of," Anthony said. "This is the first signature sneaker for this city since Patrick Ewing. The sneaker represents something bigger than myself."
Melo’s words might come across as boastful on the page, but given the crowd’s response, there could be some accuracy to Anthony’s remarks. Pride was on full display yesterday evening, not just from an excited Melo, but from New York natives who cherish the Ewing Era.
“Despite the uproar the whole sports world was in [last season] about where I was going to end up, once I got here I was relieved,” Anthony explained. “For me, personally, there’s nothing like playing in New York.”
All the support the M8 has to offer was really needed when Jadakiss opened the discussion for questions to Melo from Brooklyn’s Eagle Academy students in attendance.
With a hustler’s spirit, one student used his opportunity to introduce each of his basketball teammates, just to ask Anthony if he and/or Jordan Brand would be willing to outfit his team with gear and equipment.
Another student went straight for the lockout and asked for Melo’s thoughts on the issues threatening the upcoming season.
“My thing is, at the end of the day, you gotta be reasonable and understand both sides of the coin,” explained Melo. “We don’t want to change our system, but the owners want to change the system. [Owners] want competitive balance across the whole NBA.
“Do I think it’s possible for all 30 teams to be competing at the same level? I don’t think so.”
The Melo M8 represents the “Fly Through” portion of Jordan Brand’s fresh campaign – including “Fly Around” for Chris Paul’s CP3.V and “Fly Over” for Dwyane Wade’s Fly Wade 2 – and is the first of the new models to hit the market with a $135 price tag.
