#nike pg3

Nike PG3 Nasa

These new kicks from Nike are enough to make me wish I played basketball, despite lacking all the necessary skills. The design is a collaboration between Nike and professional basketball player and six time NBA All-Star Paul George (now with the Oklahoma City Thunder). 

George grew up in Palmdale, CA near Edwards Air Force Base and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (formerly Dryden) and was inspired by the idea of flying, both on and off the court. 

From Nike’s website:

The PG 3’s intergalactic inspiration comes from an official footwear and jumpsuit collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, using patches, NASA colors, and other references that unite basketball and space flight. “I grew up in Palmdale, California, which has a big NASA base that not a lot of people know about,” says Paul George of the collaboration, which has the city’s zip code, 93552, on the shoe. “This shoe is for the kids who want to fly, whether as professional athletes or astronauts.”

The shoes have a lot of brilliant attention to detail from the “Remove before flight” tag to the lunar crater inspired outsoles. George even spent time shadowing and astronaut at Kennedy Space Center to better understand daily training routines. 

My favorite detail is the text wrapping the heel. It reads: “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”

George explains it best: “I always wanted to be in the NBA. That’s the sky. Now, me being an All-Star, me working to become a champion — that’s the footprints on the moon.”

In addition to the shoes, there are several other NASA inspired items including a hat, a tracksuit, a backpack, and a couple t-shirts. 

God speed, Paul George! 

Paul George’s “NASA” Nike PG3 Drops Today: Purchase Links

New “NASA” PG3 drops at 10am!

The latest NASA-inspired colorway of Paul George’s Nike PG3 is set to launch at 10am ET today, October 23. The space-themed PG3s, available in both men’s and grade school sizes, will retail for $110.

Check out the early purchase links in the tweets embedded below.

  Drawing inspiration from NASA’s Armstrong Building 703 in PG’s hometown

The @nikebasketballPG 3…

Video: Paul George Blames His 'Shoes' For Getting Crossed Over During Game vs China

Paul George on skates. pic.twitter.com/OmrKcLxoIk

— ⓂarcusD (@_MarcusD_) August 6, 2016

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Money — is it must be the shoes?

In Paul George’s defense, I’m just glad he was able to get his footing because he could have gotten injured if his shoe really did stick to the ground like he says.

During the Team USA blowout of China — George found himself a trending topic…