You know, obviously it's a blessing to have your own signature shoot, but having that's why you put on a certain color ways and play better.

You know, you look good.

You play good.

Now we're at five.

It's like, uh, we came a long way and we got a long way to go.

All right.

Nick DePaula here with James Harden.

We're here to talk about the hardened five and just James coming into your fifth signature shoe with Adidas.

What were some of the things you were looking for and you wanted to achieve with your fish shoot?

There's always creativity.

I think, uh, you know, just continue to get better.

You know, it's it's so much new technology and colour ways.

There's so many things you can put onto a shoe.

It's really unlimited, you know?

So for me, I just feel like I'm excited.

I feel like the five is, you know, probably my best shoe, just because of the creativity and all the efforts and the work that we put in as a team.

And you had boost in the first three and then light striking the floor.

And, like you alluded to now you got both in the five.

Just what's it like headlining that future natural concept and having that much innovation this time around, You know, to get better and to keep elevating and taking your game to the next level, you know?

So a combination of both really allows me to be the best that I could be on the court and then around around around, you know, supernatural.

You gotta go color ways.

You gotta go details on the shoe.

You gotta You gotta make that shoe pop.

And obviously, the feeling the protection as far as me being able to do certain moves on the court has to be fit.

This is an unbelievable job.

And I know two of the ones you're excited about that you got coming up is the daisy and the aura.

You just kind of talk to me about both of those and and kind of the themes inspirations behind them in terms of honor.

And your mom, you put on a certain color ways and play better.

You know.

You look good.

You play good, you know, from my chapter two, Volume five.

You know, I wanted to put a butterfly.

That represents my mom just because of the confidence.

And she's instilled with me.

Basically, I was a little kid even to this day, you know?

And then the dove represents, like, you know, my brothers, like my homies who I've been knowing just middle school, high school.

We grew up, and we're still here rocking, you know, if I wanted to give them some some love with my kicks as well.

Also a flower, you know, which I'm excited for you guys to see as well.

And it represents l a legend that we lost, you know?

So we wanted to show him some love and what he meant to the culture.

Um, in the rap game.

And now that you've been in Brooklyn for a second to like, how do you see just that moves to Brooklyn kind of impact in the sneaker line.

Do you think there's any ways that it's going to bring some different inspirations to the line?

Like, how do you see that coming along?

Yeah, I mean, there's so much, so much inspiration, you know, just being here, looking outside right now, and I'm like an inspiration, you know, by by looking at this beautiful city.

So I'm excited to be here like opportunity is is, you know, endless.

And, you know, as far as my shoe inspiration being Brooklyn net, you know, chasing the goal that I haven't, you know, obtained and reach yet the whole just my whole vibe right now.

And it's just like it's just it's happiness.

And it's also pretty rare for a team like you guys have now to have three signature athletes, all with major brands.

I mean, there's been teams that had it, but you pretty much have to go back to the nineties Bulls in terms of like this much star power.

From a shoe standpoint, if you guys had any conversations about that and you guys liked any kind of fun competitions between each other, what's that been like?

So far?

No, there's no, there's no competition.

I think, uh, I've only been here for a month and a half or whatnot.

I think the focus me from getting here was just trying to win and trying everybody trying to get on the court together.

I'm sure once you know it is, the season is happening so fast that it's like in game game game.

So we're just so locked in.

I feel like once we get some downtime able to relax and chilled, and we can talk about our individual lives in our business because obviously we know how well no chi is doing.

And how will Kate is doing?

Um, and then I'm doing pretty pretty good as well.

So I'm just happy to be a part of something special.

And you and PJ, I would say we're of course, like the fashion guys in Houston in terms of the arrivals.

But who would you say so far in Brooklyn is the guys that you really see and just step up their fashion game when it comes to the arrivals, I think the entire team, I think everybody has their own style, our own fashion, Cuba in in a way, in a sense, and I'm talking about from top to bottom.

I mean, obviously like, you know, Cain cause, you know, dress.

You know how they feel.

Comfortable?

Uh, de Andres, 7 ft.

He knows how to dress well, and then some of our younger guys know how to dress as well.

So it's pretty cool to see guys dress up and um, you know, like I said, once you feel good, you dress up and you go out there and play this So it's it's a win win.

And what's it been like?

Just seeing how you went from?

I mean, it was basically you and a few other guys like swaggy P as well that I would say five or six years ago that that whole concept of the tunnel was taking off.

And now you have, like, goat sponsoring it.

You have all these, like, you know, massive kind of partners, like, What's it been like?

Just seeing the phenomenon that's become that's been like our NBA is run away, You know, we created something that, you know, took it to another level, and that's what it's about.

Um, now you've got guys around the league and fashion deals and things like that, which is great to see, you know, as basketball players were not just, you know, we're not just that, you know, we're more than that, and it's great to see that we take an opportunity like that and expanded and be creative, have fun with all these great brands coming in and wanting to be supportive of And so it was great to see it and honestly, like it can only get better.

It's crazy and even you got, like all the other leagues kind of piggybacking off of that, too now.

So it's been cool for sure.

I know the welcome to Brooklyn colour weigh as well, the white and black one.

I understand you're also looking to make an impact with the area with that launch to what can you tell us about just what you and Adidas are teaming up to do for the Brooklyn community with that shit?

So Adidas is, you know, donating to local minority small business in Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn shoe is just giving, You know that the next fans and James Harden fans something to be excited about.

Obviously, it was a short window, you know, since I've been here.

But I feel like, you know, myself.

And Adidas is helping, you know, obviously as well.

Um, just trying to put an impact in the footprint on this on this beautiful city because Brooklyn no deserves it, and we're willing to give it to him.

Of course, we do have five shoes now, and as you look back on that time.

Are there any, like, sneaker moments that really stick out for you over the course?

No, I just think from the beginning, um, you know, trying to trying to create my own shoe.

Like I remember what that first process was like.

And now we're at five.

It's like we came a long way and we got a long way to go.

I mean, for me, the one that sticks out for sure is when they pulled the truck up and that was like, That's a movie like That's like legends right there.

You know, just, you know, signing at Adidas deal and pulling the big U Haul truck up to the crib.

That's like a movie like that, something that you can't forget about.

That's actually right there.

Nobody's doing it like that.

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