NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. was in a festive mood on Christmas night when his Baltimore Ravens faced the San Francisco 49ers.
When the wide receiver hit the Levi’s Stadium field in San Francisco for pregame warmups, he had custom cleats laced up that were inspired by both the Nike Kobe 6 Proto “Grinch” sneakers and Santa Claus’ signature attire. The look, dubbed the “Grinchmas” cleats, were created in collaboration with Dominic Ciambrone, better known as The Surgeon (formerly The Shoe Surgeon).
The right cleat was dressed in bright green fabric, which served as a nod to the Grinch’s fur. It also included a working light-up heart on the outside of the shoe, which could be activated with the touch of a button. As for the left cleat, it was executed to look like Santa Claus’ outfit, including plush red and white fabric with a removable hat cover.
The Surgeon also created a one-of-a-kind look for George Kittle of the 49ers. Kittle wore a cleated version of the iconic Air Jordan 1 High. The tight end’s handcrafted custom look featured uppers executed in red, black and white with glitter all over. Although this colorway is synonymous with NBA icon Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six championships, the cleats for Kittle were titled “North Pole” for the holiday.
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Beckham and the Ravens defeated Kittle and the 49ers on Christmas night, 33-19.
Ciambrone has become the go-to designer for athletes when they want a custom shoe. For instance, he created a handcrafted look inspired by Rick Owens for boxing superstar Devin Haney when he defeated Regis Prograis on Dec. 9. And in November, Ciambrone designed custom boxing boots for boxing’s biggest star, Canelo Alvarez, when he defeated Jermell Charlo in November. Alvarez’s gold and purple boxing boots, which featured “Undisputed” and “Canelo” badges stitched into the uppers, matched his Dolce & Gabbana outfit.
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
