Special Projects

Over 13 years in the game, I have always sought to find those ignition points that capture the attention of the kid to drive status and sales. Sometimes it would be as straightforward as executing design trends, like fluorescent colors, and other times would be more complex, like identifying the emotional needs of the consumer at a given point in time.

Below are examples of projects that pushed me out of my comfort zone by challenging me to become more collaborative, open-minded, and confident in my work.  These demonstrate my ability to see opportunities where others may not, such as connecting a basketball player from Boston with a football club from Chelsea or launching a new business model with a major brand like the NBA. 

Brotherhood

Starting in 2005, I had the opportunity to work with Hall of Famers in the game such as Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Tracy McGrady. I played a big part in crafting and executing product roadmaps for our athletes, whether they be veterans or new guys like Dwight Howard. This included the 2007 implementation of a new brotherhood strategy called Team Signature which called for switching from standalone signature shoes to TS Command and TS Create franchise models. 

Candace Parker: TS Ace Commander

In 2010, we set out to create the first ever female-specific adidas basketball shoe. We identified the fastest growing consumer segment within the industry as female basketball players. While our research with female high school and college basketball players showed that there was a perception that product specifically made for women was not equal to that of men, we felt that WNBA superstar, Candace Parker, was the perfect athlete to change this sentiment. Debuted on the court by her alma mater, Tennessee Lady Vols, it was the only female signature model in the market in 2010. This program not only set a precedent but established a franchise that would be anniversaried a year later.  

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The Blueprint - Black History Month 2014

By 2014, Black History Month had become an annual sneaker culture concept across all brands, highlighted by collections worn on and off the court by NBA superstars. Every brand had their take on BHM which, for the most part, had evolved into color/graphic driven collections anchored with a charitable angle. Seizing the opportunity to delve deeper into the culture and anchor it in sport, I reached out to the legendary athlete and activist, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. With his blessing, I brought together an amazing team from both Performance and Originals to tackle this task.

The concept that came out was "The Blueprint", which celebrated the impact that he had on the sport, culture, and players that came after him. The concept manifested itself with product details that tied back to literal blueprints such as Tyvex blueprint material, drafting paper graphics, and a deep blue color palette. The concept launched at retail and on the court in February of 2014 with The Crazy 8 and Jabbar Hi to rapid sell-out and acclaim from athletes, bloggers, and consumers. The most rewarding moment was sending the proceeds check to Kareem's Skyhook foundation so it could fulfill its mission to “Give Kids a Shot That Can't be Blocked."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Black History Month 2015

Following up on the successful "Blueprint" pack with Kareem, we decided to do it again but increase the offering to include our three signature athletes, Dame Lillard, Derrick Rose, and John Wall. The concept this time was to chronicle four of the most pivotal eras of his career, utilizing each model.

We utilized materials such as canvas to align to the time periods as well as a sepia-tone palette seen in old photos. Each shoe was finished off with a personal quote from Kareem. A portion of all proceeds went to Kareem's Skyhook foundation that “Gives Kids a Shot That Can't be Blocked."

The model lineup:

1. Crazy 8 – "Fundamentals are the Foundation for Excellence – '61 –'65"

2. J Wall 1 – "Rules are What Make the Game Challenging – '65 – '69"

3. D Rose 5 Boost – "The Hook Shot is Worth a Thousand Words – '69 – '75"

4. D Lillard – "When the Music Changes, so Does the Dance – '75 – '89"

Chelsea Football Club | Kevin Garnett | Bodega: TS Commander

In a sidebar conversation with KG after one of our product meetings, he mentioned that during the offseason, he was studying other sports to get a competitive edge in basketball. One of his newfound loves was football, especially the Premier League's Chelsea Football Club. 

During this time period, "collaborations" with sneaker boutiques and streetwear brands were heating up the market. One of the adidas' key partners was the influential Boston boutique, Bodega. With KG playing for the Celtics, I felt that Bodega would be an authentic partner with which to collaborate on this unique story. Coordinating three different partners and crafting authentic product, such as a custom Chelsea scarf, was a challenge well worth the effort when we sold out the product and saw KG walk out on the pitch wearing it at a friendly between the LA Galaxy and Chelsea. 

Gabriel Urist: TS Pro Model

Gabriel Urist is a jeweler who came to fame in the streetwear world with his replicas of sneakers, particularly those from Nike like the Dunk. The collaboration began as a project to create a replica of the latest update to the Pro Model franchise, TS Pro Model. After going through the process, we felt it would be more impactful to have a custom shoe go along with the replica. 

Taking material cues from his own favorite Stan Smith vintage and his love of Chinese art, we created a product that looked just as good on the court as it did off.  When Jason Kapono won the Footlocker Three-Point Shootout during the 2008 NBA All Star weekend in New Orleans, he was wearing the Gabriel Urist TS Pro Model. 

Jeremy Scott | D Rose: Cherub 3.5

Jeremy Scott is one of the most respected fashion designers in the industry who also brought his unique vision to adidas. His work focused on the style side with shoes and apparel that pushed the brand out of its comfort zone. Shoes with teddy bears and wings became the hallmark of this collaboration and drove status beyond the catwalk to the streets. The ability to drive hype and transition basketball product beyond the court was the recipe for igniting the market. Utilizing his iconic cherub print on the D Rose 3 silhouette, Jeremy Scott was able to elevate the product and athlete beyond the normal basketball retailers into stores like Colette, Opening Ceremony, and Barneys. 

 Y3 | adidas Originals: D Rose 5 Boost: All Star

The year 2015 was an ignition point for adidas with the signing of Kanye West, relaunch of the iconic Superstar, the key city attack plan, and the NBA All Star in New York. Knowing the full power of the brand and the importance of court and street to our core basketball consumer, we decided to bring together icons of the court, street, and catwalk. The D Rose Superstar Boost and Y3 models launched All Star weekend alongside the Yeezy Boost 750 and made a statement that adidas was back in a big way.

Retro Basketball

Adidas basketball had a major run in the 90s and early 2000s with the "feet you wear" concept fronted by Antoine Walker, Tracy McGrady, and most visibly an 18-year-old prep-to-pro phenom, Kobe Bryant. With a focus on the influential I95 urban consumer, retro performance basketball became a major pillar of adidas basketball anchored by the Crazy 8.

NBA Footwear

In 2006, adidas entered an exclusive partnership with the NBA that lasted until 2017.  We established the partnership across consumer bases from the influencer down to the casual fan across three key markets: U.S., Western Europe, and China. We started with classic silhouettes like the Superstar and over time moved to iconic performance models like the Brooklyn Nets Crazy 8.

Damian Lillard | Andrew Wiggins

NBA Rookie of the Year: Real Deal & Crazylight Boost

One of the highlights of my career was being a part of the athlete journey from high school all the way to the NBA. Two athletes that I followed since high school were Damian Lillard out of Oakland and Andrew Wiggins out of Toronto. When the guys graduated from adidas programs, Weber State and Kansas respectively, I was part of the team pitching them to sign. Both guys went on to sign and crush their rookie NBA seasons with the Portland Trailblazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was an honor to lead the product marketing team in the creation of limited-edition footwear and apparel celebrating their NBA Rookie of the Year awards.

Collaborations

Collaboration projects are complex, yet rewarding initiatives to manage. Identifying the opportunity, connecting the dots, building consensus, and executing takes strong negotiation and management skills. It is imperative to find a way that the projects are mutually beneficial for both sides yet stay true to the core values. Over the years, I was the owner of this initiative within basketball, collaborating with prestigious established consumer brands (Disney, DC Comics), major sports leagues (NBA, NCAA, MLS), designers (Jeremy Scott, Yohji Yamamoto), athletes (Lionel Messi, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dikembe Mutombo), sneaker boutiques (Bodega, Undftd, Alife), and streetwear (Irak, Undrcrwn, Passport).