Derrick and Dwight are once in a lifetime athletes and are among the fastest players in the league at their positions, so we provided them with the lightest adidas shoes to help separate them even more from the pack,” said Lawrence Norman, adidas Vice President of Global Basketball. “Speed is everything in basketball, and to communicate our fast message to players across the world we created the ‘Fast Don’t Lie’ campaign to bring fast to life in a fun, loud and unexpected way.

To get even faster on the court this season, Derrick Rose will lace up the adiZero Rose. At 12.8 ounces, it’s the lightest signature basketball shoe adidas has ever created and its perfect blend of fit and lightweight materials help make the Bulls’ speedy All-Star point guard even faster. The iconic adidas three stripes on the back of the shoe represents how defenders often see Rose on the court – after he’s speeding by them to the basket. The adiZero Rose is inspired by the fastest things in nature and features a mix of textiles and synthetics that help reduce weight and increase stability during cutting movements.

The adiZero Rose is light – the lightest basketball shoe I’ve ever worn and it’s very flexible and reliable on the court to help me run faster and cut quicker, said Rose. I never thought growing up on the South Side of Chicago that I would have my own signature shoe, so I’m really proud and I know my family and the city are going to be really proud too. It’s a clean cut fashion shoe so you put some jeans over it and you can look good off the court.

At adidas we know lighter equals faster, so when we designed the first signature shoes for one of the fastest and one of the strongest and explosive players in the league, we wanted to tell that story through the shoe’s performance and design, said Robbie Fuller, designer for adidas Basketball who led the design and development of the new signature shoes for Rose and Howard.

While Rose is crossing over defenders on the perimeter, four-time NBA All-Star and two-time defending Defensive Player of the Year Howard will be in the paint sporting the new adidas Beast this season, his lightest shoe to date.

Having the Beast be my first signature shoe means a lot to me and I can’t wait to lace them up on the court this season, said Howard. They’re light to keep me faster on the court, but we worked really hard to add things from my personal life like my HEY WOOOOORLD greeting to my fans and my ManChild nickname.

The Beast includes a mix of textiles and synthetics that help reduce weight and increase stability during cutting movements. The Beast’s tongue also features a unique lacing system that allows you to pop it forward for casual wear or move it back and lace through the loops for a tight fit on the court. Rich stripes, folded edges and a mix of high gloss and matte finishes represent items you would find in Dwight’s closet.

The adiZero Rose will launch in a black/red/white color on October 22 and will roll out in five different colors through February. The Beast will launch in a black/black/royal color on November 12 and will roll out in three additional colors through December. Both shoes will be exclusively sold at Foot Locker and Eastbay for MSRP $100.

The shoes launch in conjunction with a new marketing campaign called Fast Don’t Lie, which stars Rose, Howard and Slim Chin played by Ken Jeong of The Hangover. Slim, a self-made billionaire and cheetah owner, attributes his life achievements to being fast – a trait that also brings results on the basketball court for Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and basketball players across the globe.

Nike (NYSE: NKE) and Kobe Bryant announced the debut of the Nike Zoom Kobe V, the brand’s lowest-profile and lightest basketball shoe to date. Bryant challenged Nike to make his signature shoe even lighter and lower than the Nike Zoom Kobe IV he debuted during his 2008-2009 championship season. Nike responded with the Nike Zoom Kobe V, which features a 10 mm forefoot profile and weighs 10.6 ounces – one ounce lighter than the Nike Zoom Kobe IV.

“I wanted to push the envelope with a shoe that meets the demands of my style of play,” Bryant said. “The Kobe V is lighter, lower and more stable. Nike has done it again.”

DIFFERENT SPORTS, SIMILAR DEMANDS

The initial inspiration for Kobe’s low-profile shoe came from an unexpected place: the soccer field. “I watch a lot of soccer and have seen how the best footballers in the world make sharp cuts at top speed in lightweight, low-cut footwear,” Bryant said. “The demands they make on their feet and ankles aren’t that different from what I’m doing on the court, yet nobody assumes they should play in high tops.”

With Bryant’s observation as inspiration, the Nike Sports Research Lab conducted hundreds of hours of testing to create a low-profile shoe that did not compromise stability or lockdown. By modifying the medial arch and sculpting the external heel counter, Nike researchers created a shoe with exceptional performance that moves with the foot and allows for multi-directional cutting. An enhanced outrigger provides lateral stability, while the de-coupled heel maximizes contact surface. The shoe also features a glass/carbon fiber weave shank plate for Please Login or Register to read the rest of this content.