adidas and Damian Lillard have unveiled another colorway of the D Lillard 1, his first signature shoe. During high school, players don’t get enough time on court playing for their school team. AAU and travel ball leagues allow the players to continue pushing their skills. In Oakland, Lillard got an opportunity to play with the local AAU team, the Oakland Rebels.
From adidas:
Damian remembers where he came from and the determination it took to play for a program that was once overlooked. The Rebels never received a shoe deal during the point guard’s time with the team, so the players fundraised in their community to have sneakers to play in. Now, Damian supports the program that raised him by donating shoes, uniforms and practice gear.
“The Oakland Rebels helped mold me, so I had to give back to them,” Lillard said.
The exclusive colorway is inspired by the team’s uniform with a sky blue upper while the full-length adiprene+ midsole compliments a red tonal snakeskin print on the heel and toecap. The royal blue laces feature flecks of red and “DAME” is printed on the right tongue.
We all know Dame can rap and put together a sweet flow. Staying true to who he is, he honors a member of the Oakland Rebels on the shoes:
The shoe also features a signature #4BarFriday freestyle that highlights Damian’s journey and gives praise to Raymond Young (Director of the Oakland Rebels program) in the sockliner:
Oakland Rebel childhood.. working hard but over looked
My story’s inspiration ain’t no secrets I’m an open book
Hardwood back boards the rims don’t even break away
Taught us how to grind.. proud to say we learned the Raymond way.
The Rebels will play in the adidas Uprising circuit and debut the sneaker on-court tonight for a tournament in Anaheim, California. You won’t have to wait long to grab your pair of the Oakland Rebel D Lillard 1 on July 10 at Footlocker and adidas’ web store.
Rivals with the Oakland Soldiers, the Soldiers are the AAU team which usually gets big names. LeBron James is probably the most well known alum from the squad. Now, the Rebels have one of their own to look up to.
