words by Nick DePaula

Here’s a first look at upcoming retro samples of the famed adidas Mutombo, a basketball shoe originally made famous in 1993 by the finger-wagging Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo during his Denver Nuggets days. (Thankfully he goes by two names) While he ranks second on the NBA’s All-Time career blocks list only behind Hakeem Olajuwon, Mutombo must also be commended for his work as a humanitarian, as he personally has donated over $18 Million towards the construction of a $29 Million hospital in his hometown of Kinshasa, the capitol of his native Congo.

Being that Mutombo left adidas and has worn Nike since his Hawks days in the late-90’s, adidas removed all of the original and distinctive tribal warrior artwork from the tongue as well as his number 55 from the ankle collar, replacing both graphics with their iconic Trefoil logo. Surely some may complain that the retro isn’t entirely true to its original form, perhaps while taking a break from their “Nike Air must return on Jordans III-VI!” campaign, but overall the shape, graphic patterns and colorblocking appear to be pretty dead on.

Just as the adidas KB8 retro was renamed Crazy 8 when Kobe Bryant bolted to Nike, we can assume the Mutombo retro will carry a new name this time around as well. Look for the shoe this fall at urban accounts and boutiques, and we’ll be sure to let you know if more colorways are scheduled to release

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