Fashion: Kawhi Leonard Just Proved You Don’t Need a Personality to Sell Sneakers

photo credit: GQ

Kawhi Leonard had a quiet Tuesday, at least by his herculean standards, during last night’s Game 5 against the Sixers: just a double-double, pouring in a cool 21 points and 13 rebounds. It didn’t matter much on the court, with the Raptors’ supporting cast stepping up to demolish Philadelphia 125-89. 

And it certainly didn’t matter off the court, where before the game even started, Kawhi officially sold out the very first drop of his very first signature sneaker.

After debuting his New Balance OMN1S at February’s All-Star Game to mostly positive reviews,

Leonard has continued wearing the kicks in an ever-expanding array of clean colorways: there was a Jurassic Park tribute, a Nipsey Hussle tribute, an icy triple white version. New Balance proved these shoes could look good, and Kawhi keeps proving—with his obscene playoff performances—that they’re up to snuff on the hardwood. The only questions left were when the OMN1S would officially drop—and if anyone would care enough to buy them. We got both answers last night.

photo credit: GQ

On Monday, New Balance announced they’d be dropping a limited-edition “Kawhi 2-Way Pack”—featuring the OMN1S ($140) and the classic 997 running silhouette ($130) in colorways supposedly designed by Leonard himself—on Tuesday at 7PM EST, ahead of the OMN1S’s wide release later this fall. Just 24 hours later, both sneakers sold out in less than a minute on New Balance’s Canadian webstore; they did the same on the American version about half an hour later.

For months, as Nike and Adidas continued their reign of dominance and Puma made its Jay-Z-led hoops splash, industry insiders have wondered if New Balance could effectively re-enter the crowded basketball market with a press-averse enigma like Kawhi as its face. It’s unclear exactly how many pairs were up for grabs last night, but a sold-out sneaker is a sold-out sneaker—and based on the hundreds of angry comments on New Balance’s Instagram from fans that missed out, there’s a real demand for a sneaker designed by a dude whose personal style begins and ends with gray sweatsuits.

Credit: GQ