MANILA, Philippines — The Chery Tiggo Crossovers not only dominated their first two games, but they also won the sneaker game in the opening week of the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
EJ Laure stood out with her Kobe 6 Reverse Grinch while her teammates rocked Stephen Curry’s shoes in Chery Tiggo’s first two wins of the season for the early lead.
Laure brought out the trend of Kobe Bryant’s signature shoes — a new version of the late NBA star’s Christmas kicks released last December — to the PVL.
SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024
Wearing the bright red sneaker with neon green laces, Laure scored nine points in the first two sets as Chery Tiggo swept Strong Group Athletics, 25-12, 25-17, 25-19, on Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Most of the Crossovers wore Curry Brand’s “Championship Mindset” pack with Jennifer Nierva, Cess Robles, Joyme Cagande, and Cza Carandang strutting the gold and blue Curry 11s–which Aby Maraño paired with a red Curry 11 ‘Bruce Lee fire’ colorway to rock a mismatched look.
Mylene Paat rocked the Underarmour Curry Spawn FloTro “Dub Nation,” a remastered edition of Steph Curry’s first shoes when he signed with the brand over a decade ago, while Ara Galang wore mismatched Nike GT Hustle sneakers, pairing the black “Greater than ever” colorway with the Christmas-themed red shoe.
The Curry 11s and Nike Sabrina 1 — Sabrina Ionescu’s signature line — were the most worn sneakers in the PVL with the Cignal HD Spikers rocking the latter in their first PVL win against the Akari Chargers.
Kobe 8s for Gandler, Valdez
Vanie Gandler, who emerged as the PVL Press Corps Player of the Week after a 19-point explosion, stood out with her Kobe 8 “Halo.” Former PVL MVP Ces Molina also turned heads with her LeBron 20 Black Metallic Gold.
Although Akari fell to Cignal, the Chargers’ sneaker game was on point with Fifi Sharma’s hot pink-colored Jordan Zion 3 “Lotus” and Dindin Santiago-Manabat’s Adidas volleyball shoes, Crazyflight Mid.
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As Creamline overcame a gritty Farm Fresh side to kick off its title quest with a four-set win, Jema Galanza and Alyssa Valdez rocked clean pairs of sneakers.
Galanza, who tallied 15 points, 13 receptions, and six digs, also rocked the latest signature shoe of the greatest three-point shooter of all time, the Curry 11 ‘Bruce Lee wind’.
Valdez is still wearing her Kobe 8 “Halo,” which she has said brings nostalgia to her storied UAAP career with Ateneo.