Jovani Hernandez LaMelo Ball and PUMA had a hit in their hands with the MB.01. Ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season, the two entities unveiled the follow-up to what’s been widely considered one of the best entries into a signature series in sometime.
Recently, the PUMA MB.02 emerged in a “Phoenix” colorway exclusive to China. Although the German sportswear behemoth may drop LaMelo’s second basketball shoe outside of the aforementioned Asian country, the decision to release the bold-colored proposition suggests PUMA plans to position the youngest Ball brother as China’s next international icon.
The sneaker is constructed with a predominantly red color scheme, animating both the synthetic upper and foam midsole in an eye-catching arrangement familiar to past offerings from the LaMelo x PUMA partnership. Feather-like details across the sneaker’s top-half indulge in a shimmering golden finish, while reinforcement along the tongue takes on a purple hue that ties back to the “Phoenix” theme well. Tongues abandon traditional branding in favor of a graphic depicting a winged creature, likely a reference to Chinese mythology.
Enjoy a detailed look at the pair ahead, courtesy of Instagram user @jesuscare, as you wait for more stateside puma.com releases on Ball’s latest signature sneaker.
For more sneaker news, check out the Air Jordan 11 “Cherry” set to release in December.
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