NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s new sneaker launched on August 16, 2024 and pays homage to his Greek heritage. Despite this being the Greek Freak’s sixth signature sneaker, it is the first time his shoes have become available to the public.
Nike prepared an unconventional color palette for the shoes on release day, including the much sought-after “Roses” colorway. The shoe is being referred to as the Freak 6, as per Giannis Antetokounmpo’s nickname.
The other style of this shoe is exclusive to kids and has been dubbed the “Olympic Origins” Freak 6. This pair is meant to reference Giannis’ performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics and pays homage to his upbringing in Greece.
The shoe is also meant to reference Giannis’ NBA championship and his MVP award with its golden patterns. The kid’s version of the Freak 6 shoes is on Nike.com for $105.
The “roses” design, inspired by Antetokounmpo’s father
The beautiful white and red Freak 6 shoes are said to be inspired by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s late father, Charles. Giannis’ father tragically passed away after suffering a heart attack on September 29, 2017 at the age of 54. Giannis and his siblings have consistently spoken and honored his legacy.
The Greek Freak’s “rose” sneakers also launched on August 16th and are retailing for $150 on Nike.com. The design also comes in a separate colorway, dubbed by Nike as the “Black/Volt.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s sneaker collection is promising
The Greek Freak’s sneaker line is amongst the most popular basketball shoes released by Nike, only behind Lebron James’ and Kevin Durant’s sneaker lines.
This is no easy feat. Unlike Lebron’s and KD’s lines, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s sneaker collection has not been around for very long. Additionally, Lebron and Durant have also seen retro releases, adding to their already existing sneaker collection.
It’s still too early to determine whether Giannis can reach those heights with his Freak line. What cannot be denied, however, is that Giannis has already had 5 sneaker releases before the age of thirty.
It seems that each release is a step closer to Giannis’ reaching the level of legendary superstars like Lebron and Kevin Durant.
Giannis has championed low-top height sneakers
Giannis has used low-top height in every single one of his five past releases. It has become a staple of the “Freak” design.
However, the Freak 6 is not an exact copy of the previous design. This new sneaker by Giannis Antetokounmpo has a slimmer leather piece that remains closer to the top of the shoe, exposing Nike’s signature multi-layered base just below.
In contrast, the Freak 5 featured panels that wrapped the heels, eyelets, and forefoot. What remains in both models, however, is the iconic oversized Nike swooshes.
