Billionaire Kanye West had his Signature Yeezy Basketball Shoe banned by the NBA in 2018
Rap sensation Kanye West was unable to enter the world of NBA sneakers because of this detail on his Yeezy basketball shoe.
The NBA is a highly competitive league. Just like any other professional sports league, there are many rules and regulations imposed on players and teams. One of the most important rules is that the silhouette of each shoe must be approved by the league office before it can be worn in the game.
Many good kicks come to the NBA office. However, not everyone walks away with an approval.
Rap sensation Kanye West learned the same thing the hard way in 2018.
In 2018, Kanye West, together with Adidas, created the first Yeezy basketball shoe. He was very excited about the product that he had worked on for 3 years, which had seen about 300 changes.
over 300 samples and 3 years in the making and I give my pair to Ant Clemons for his birthday pic.twitter.com/wC7Ox5gs0P
— you (@kanyewest) September 27, 2018
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Kanye West could never debut his Yeezy basketball shoe in the NBA
Before Kanye West could get an Adidas athlete to wear his Yeezy basketball shoes, the NBA removed them from the list of approved sneakers for the season. Without even having to take a closer look at the shoe, it’s pretty obvious what the problem behind the shoe would have been.
According to ESPN’s Nick DePaula, the problem was as follows:
“While the monochrome shoes won’t violate the league’s footwear color restrictions, the issue is the ‘3M’ reflective heel panel, which the NBA would potentially find distracting for both in-arena spectators and TV viewers alike.”
In 2018, the NBA banned Kanye’s Yeezy basketball shoes due to their “3M” reflective heel panel, which the NBA would potentially find distracting for both in-arena spectators and TV viewers. pic.twitter.com/f20wYDCcq4
– DubNation (2022 NBA CHAMPIONS) (@dubs3000) September 12, 2022
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While the shoes’ silhouette and color scheme didn’t violate any restrictions, the 3M panel meant Yeezy’s first basketball shoe never saw the light of day. Since then, however, Ye has released multiple Yeezy Basketball shoes.
