Adidas and designer Jerry Lorenzo will extend the Fear of God Athletics collection this holiday season with the launch of their first performance basketball sneaker.
Previewed Friday during the first game of Fear of God Athletics’ newly announced Overtime Elite (OTE) team, the Adidas Fear of God Athletics 2 Basketball shoe is the latest output from Lorenzo and the Herzogenaurach, Germany-based sportswear company. After releasing the Fear of God Athletics 1 Basketball and other lifestyle sneakers in 2023, the partnership’s long-teased leap into performance footwear will be arriving at retail soon.
The shoe’s first on-court look came in the NBA on Oct. 25, when Gabe Vincent of the Los Angeles Lakers wore a black Adidas Fear of God Athletics 2 Basketball style against the Phoenix Suns. He’s continued to wear the sneaker in games since, including a white colorway during Friday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
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But the best look yet at the sneakers came during a Thursday preview event for the Fear of God Athletics OTE team. The shoe was displayed in black, gray and tan colorways in both low and high-top variations. Aesthetically, the Adidas Fear of God Athletics 2 Basketball looks like a natural evolution of its predecessor.
It features a similar sculpted midsole fashioned in an opaque off-white, while the upper wraps a reinforced synthetic suede around a ventilated mesh base. Cutouts are shaped in angular three stripes, while molded heel pieces are branded with Adidas and Fear of God logos. The high-top version adds a supportive Velcro strap across the ankle.
The long-term partnership between Adidas and Fear of God was announced December 2020. But by December 2022, Lorenzo’s involvement had changed, shifting away from guiding Adidas’ basketball design to instead focus primarily on the Fear of God Athletics line.
“Jerry Lorenzo and Fear of God are not involved or connected to the Adidas Basketball ‘Remember the Why’ campaign and collection launching this holiday season,” Fear of God wrote in a December ’22 Instagram post, which has since been removed. “The partnership between Adidas and Jerry Lorenzo has evolved over the past two years to a concentrated focus on the creation and development of Fear of God Athletics. Both houses look forward to sharing more in the first half of 2023 and remain enthusiastic about the vision for our collective partnership.”
According to on-site reports, the Adidas Fear of God Athletics 2 Basketball sneaker will be released in December. Readers can expect more details soon, including price points, retailer availability and a breakdown of technologies used in the shoe.
