Giannis Antetokounmpo is the great big hope of the Milwaukee Bucks in terms of winning another NBA championship. The same thing rings true for Greek basketball as he is leading his country in the FIBA World Cup. Nike is also cashing in on the Greek Freak mania.
The juggernaut shoe brand went all in as they overhauled their Niketown store in SoHo New York into a Greek pantheon. The moment you enter the store, you would feel like you're in Athens. Angela Kalias of the Greek City Times recounted what she saw when she entered the refurbished store.
Nike Soho New York has transformed its store into a Grecian monument in honour of NBA’s MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s “rise to legend” and his own Nike signature shoe, the Zoom Freak 1.
The Greek Freak’s “Coming to America” inspired signature shoe comes from his personal connection to the story and according to Nike, the Zoom Freak 1 is “embellished with animal print and rich gold accents to mimic the grab worn by Prince Akeem upon his formal entrance to the United States”.
Local Greek-American New Yorker Matheos Sprague had visited the store and said “I’m blown away by Niketown Soho, they designed the entire store in modern and whimsical Hellenic style for Greek NBA star Antetokounmpo. Complete with Greek diner and coffee shop!”
Nike officially launched Zoom Freak 1 in July, and the event was attended by the Bucks superstar and his brothers. His shoe was the highlight of the store, but the look and ambiance of Niketown added to the shoe's appeal.
While the shoes are doing well, Giannis is currently having a hard time. The 24-year-old is struggling to find his groove in the FIBA World Cup and will likely have a tough time against Team USA.
However, Giannis has averaged more than 25 points a game over the past two years against the world's best basketball players. There's no question that he should be able to bounce back and live up to the hype Niketown SoHo set up for him.
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