Titan, Nike launch ‘Kyrie’

THIS wasn’t just a simple product launch.

This was about Nike Philippines together with basketball specialty store Titan 22 bringing some of the biggest names of the sport in the country on the court.

When the first signature shoe of NBA star Kyrie Irving was introduced last Wednesday during the fifth Titan Trial Runs at Treston Gym in Taguig, a star-studded lineup showed up to test the latest in the Nike basketball shoe roster.

Gilas Pilipinas members Jimmy Alapag, Marc Pingris, LA Tenorio, Gabe Norwood and Jayson Castro, as well as UAAP Most Valuable Player Kiefer Ravena were on hand along with Titan Athletes like PJ Simon and Mark Barroca of Purefoods to take the shoe out for a spin.

Coach Jeff Cariaso supervised drills for the PBA stars and select members of the media to test the grip and responsiveness of the shoe.

Named the Kyrie 1, the shoe takes inspiration from Irving, the Cleveland Cavaliers star who bagged MVP honors in the Fiba World Championship last year while leading the United States to the gold medal in the tournament.

“We wanted to do something different,” said Andro Torres, Nike Philippines product specialist. “We wanted to bring in the media not only to try on the shoe, but also give a nice experience with an informal environment centered around the launch of the Kyrie 1.”