NBA superstar James Harden is paying homage to his late friend and rapper Nipsey Hussle through his upcoming sneaker launch.
The Cleveland Cavaliers pro-baller and Adidas are collaborating with the rapper’s brand, The Marathon Clothing, with the release of the royal blue Harden Volume 10 kicks, according to a press release from Adidas.
The colorway and “The Marathon Continues” flag on the heel tab are an ode to Hussle. The logo, in particular, reflects the hip hop icon’s “enduring message of long-term vision and perseverance,” Adidas said.
Other intentional details on the insole include the word “Crenshaw,” the Grammy award-winning artist’s hometown in Los Angeles.
The shoes are set to drop on Tuesday, April 12, on the Adidas website, the brand’s app, and at select retailers for $160.
‘He was a leader,’ Harden says
According to Adidas, Harden will wear the new shoes during the Cavaliers vs. the Los Angeles game on Tuesday, March 31, the day Hussle died. The “Racks in the Middle” emcee was 33 when he wasfatally shot in front of his own Marathon Clothing store in 2019.
Harden, who is also from Los Angeles, was a close friend of Hussle. The athlete opened up about the news of the musician and entrepreneur’s death in an interview a few days later.
“He was powerful. Not just to a certain dynamic or a certain city, but just to the world. He was a leader. He was so many things,” Harden told reporters at the time. “His life got taken away off nonsense, off BS. It’s been sad, man. Not only myself, but a lot of people around this world were affected by it. It doesn’t seem real.”
In 2018, both Hussle and Harden were captured in a run-in with TMZ.
“The (expletive) that broke the NBA record for the highest (expletive) contract ever, went to Audubon,” Hussle said with his arm wrapped around Harden, referring to the middle school they reportedly both attended.
Harden was on the Houston Rockets at the time when he inked the deal.
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@usatodayco.com.