Utah Jazz: Did Donovan Mitchell just tease his signature kicks?
By Ryan Aston
The possibility of a signature shoe for Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell has been an oft-discussed topic this offseason.
A smirking face emoji tagged with @adidasHoops on Twitter — that’s all it takes to shake the masses on basketball Twitter these days, and Donovan Mitchell did just that on Tuesday. With one tweet, the Utah Jazz star threw gas on an already burning fire.
Now, one can’t help but wonder if Mitchell just teased his very own set of signature Adidas kicks in less than low-key fashion.
Here’s the tweet in question —
https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell/status/1034531058593587200
Of course, this isn’t the first time since the end of Utah’s 2017-18 campaign that Mitchell has fueled speculation about his shoe game. Back in July, he dropped the following tweet, which more or less launched the whole discussion —
https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell/status/1016499758678999041
At the time, no one could actually confirm that a shoe was in the works. That said, a source later told the Deseret News’ Eric Woodyard that “good things” were happening and fan speculation has run amok. It’s entirely possible that Mitchell is now hinting at those good things.
Here’s what we actually know: after rocking Damian Lillard‘s signature shoes — the Dame 4s — during his breakout rookie year, he’ll absolutely be in different footwear for his sophomore campaign.
Just last week, Adidas unveiled its new Pro Bounce and Mad Bounce models. The athletic wear giant also revealed that Mitchell will be rocking both shoes at various times throughout the 2018-19 season. However, they’ll hardly be exclusive to our friendly, neighborhood Spida-man.
Kristaps Porzingis, Candace Parker, Zach LaVine, Kyle Lowry, Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, Nick Young, Thon Maker, Jamal Murray, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Chiney Ogwumike will all wear them as well.
For those looking to match that style, the Pro Bounce will be released publicly on September 1, while the Mad Bounce is dropping on October 1.
The big question now is whether or not the NBPA’s pick for top rookie last season will be trading in his Bounces for a pair of Spida 1s at some point in the year ahead.
It remains to be seen, but my Magic 8-Ball says signs point to yes.