Sugar Ray

At this rate, we’re going to end up diving into the history of each shoe from Nike/Jordan/Converse’s Art Of A Champion pack. Today’s installment covers one of the most clutch shots in Finals history, Ray Allen’s game saving 3-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals.

Ray had only nine points, but the last three became legendary. LeBron missed the go-ahead shot, Bosh rebonds and finds Allen in the corner with five seconds left… bang, drain-o, Miami wins. He missed both of his previous 3-point attempts but shot the rock with no hesitation – years of practice and muscle memory paid off.

Unlike previous releases, Ray’s contribution to the Art Of A Champion differs greatly from the Player Exclusive he wore during his Finals moment. Jordan Brand laced Ray up with some of the sickest XX8 PEs for the series, take a look at some of the options Jordan could have chosen from:

The shroud on the XX8 provided opportunities for some crazy upper graphics. Aesthetically, the OG XX8 is a bit difficult to pull off; do you rock the shroud fully zipped or half zipped? The XX8 SE would do away with the polarizing feature and could be seen more frequently on the feet of Team Jordan NBA players. One feature of the XX8 that was undoubtedly a success was the Flight Plate. Zoom Air acted as the backbone of the tech, it also provided unmatched flexibility and facilitated ‘lift-off’ with a raised forefoot Air unit.

Above is a detailed look at Ray’s Game 6 PE. Obviously the OG is white while the retro is black. Red and gold have been replaced with black and gold speckle detailing. Allen’s jersey number (35) adorns the inner shroud flap too.

South Beach color scheme. Sugar for Sugar Ray. A bullseye with .05 seconds for the shot. Simple and to the point marketing. Look for Ray Allen’s Locked and Loaded XX8s to drop on May 12th for 200$.