We’re just going to assume you haven’t watched any Toronto Raptor preseason games on League Pass yet. You probably have, it is appointment television and all, but for the purposes of this post we’ll assume that you have the games on the DVR but haven’t watched them yet.
Then you wouldn’t have noticed Toronto’s Leandro Barbosa wearing blue and yellow Brazilian colored kicks with his red-and-black Blazers unis. Or that Adidas-sponsored Sonny Weems was wearing Nike.
Why? The Great Canadian Shoe Shortage of 2010, as it will be remembered. Dave Feschuk had the scoop at the Toronto Sun.“(Adidas) is just having a little bit of a crisis right now. ... It’s the first time ever,” said [Raptors equipment manager Kevin] DiPietro. “I just thank God (Barbosa) had his shoes from Brazil.”
Said Barbosa: “I don’t know what’s going on with adidas. All I know is, they’re late.”
Barbosa and Weems, both of whom are paid to wear the brand, said they’re not sure when to expect the new shipment of shoes in Raptors red, black and white. The company sent both players a box of shoes before training camp began late last month; DiPietro said he started inquiring about getting Barbosa’s favored model on the day the Raptors dealt for him in July.
We don’t know the cause, but I’m sure it had something to do with NAFTA. The Internet said so.
Add this to the list of things you can bet Adidas has cleared up fast. In the competitive basketball shoe world, news like this spreads like wildfire. And Adidas is not is a place to have its clients doing anything but singing their praises.
It’s all just a little odd, because as the story notes, NBA locker rooms are generally awash in free shoes for players. Except in certain parts of Canada, apparently.
