Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is a legitimate superstar now. Won Rookie of the Year his first season, took the Blazers to the second round on one of the best shots in playoff history in his second, and is playing at an All-Star level in his third. You can make an argument for Lillard for whatever accomplishment you want. All-Star, All-NBA, even MVP if you squint.
And now, the kid's got a shoe.
Adidas revealed the D Lillard 1, Lillard's first signature shoe on Tuesday. I'm a fan.
These are the standards. The ribbon at the bottom of the laces sticks out a little bit, but the black and white paint drip on the bottom is nice. I'm also a fan of the heavier more robotic style, something you find with a lot of Adidas' new releases.
The back:
I'm undecided on this colorway. The purple laces are nice, and the gravel-like chalkboard style through the toe is interesting, but I'm not sure how they'd look wearing them.
An all-American patriotic colorway:
The ribbon on the laces stands out less, and from your standard viewing angle, the red toe probably won't look so Ronald-McDonald'y. The white and blue counter does give a nice feel.
I like the idea, but not the execution on that colorway. Too much noise on the front, though they might look good with jeans.
These next ones are divisive.
The roughness of the material gives it a different feel, less sleek for a pair of purple shoes. Basically, if you hate purple, you probably really hate these. The logo design does look really terrific on these.
Overall, not a bad start at all for his first signature shoe. Here's more on the D Lillard 1's from Adidas. Pay special note to the part about the rap lyric from his #4barFriday branding, pretty cool .
The D Lillard 1 features the new Damian Lillard logo which consists of his initials, "DL," fusing together to create a "0." The "0" is Lillard's number on court, which he chose to represent the letter "O" for the three places he's called home: Oakland, where he grew up, Ogden, where he attended Weber State University, and current home state Oregon. Affixed to the left side of the logo is a wing comprised of three stripes, a nod to the nickname of his group of closest friends and family, the "Fly Guyz."
"We're inspired by Damian's elite work ethic and dedication to the game so we designed every aspect of this shoe to compliment Dame's play on the court," said Robbie Fuller, Basketball Design Director. "We're lucky that Dame lives in Portland and is able to talk with us all the time. We can bounce ideas off him and really see what he's interested in and what he wants in his footwear. When it came time to design the D Lillard 1 we were able to deliver a shoe that really speaks to him as a player and person."
To compliment Damian's fast, confident and complete game, the D Lillard 1 midsole features full length adiprene+ cushioning for enhanced responsiveness and superior heel to toe transition. Lillard's versatile style of play is supported by a TECHFIT tongue and inner booty that provide heightened comfort and fit. The D Lillard 1 features a new low-cut, yet stable design, allowing for optimal mobility, comfort and versatility on the court.
In addition to performance elements, the D Lillard 1 features details reflective of his personality and style. These details include the Damian Lillard logo featured prominently on the heel of the left shoe, while "Dame" is written across the tongue of the right shoe. The insole of each shoe features a unique rap lyric written by Lillard that relates to each colorway. The lyrics featured on the shoes tie to Lillard's social media freestyle rap challenge, @4BarFriday. The D Lillard 1 is finished with premium nubuck and leather textures for a sophisticated look and plush fit.
The D Lillard 1 launches at adidas and Foot Locker on February 6 for $105 in three different colorways. Additional colorways will launch throughout the year.
