Friday, February 27, 2009

Protege Sneakers - Al Harrington's $35 Kicks (DECENT)

You may have seen this new commercial for Protege sneakers during a basketball game or on ESPN recently.  This is Al Harrington's (New York Knicks) new shoe company.  Yes, you read that right. He isn't just a paid endorser.  He has ownership in the company.  It's a ballsy investment but if this works out well, he is going to be making some serious cash (as if he didn't already have a ton).

Al Harrington decided he wanted to put together an affordable, high quality and stylish line of athletic shoes because he couldn't always afford those $100 sneakers growing up.  He wanted to create an alternative to the expensive Nike, Adidas and Reebok basketball shoes for kids and parents.  Now he is selling his Protege line exclusively in KMart for just $35!!!  He landed endorsements from NBA players Stephen Jackson, Ron Artest and Mikael Pietrus as well.  That's a lot of crazy dudes for one sneaker company and not the most well known roster but it's a start.  If the shoes and company are successful, I'm sure many other higher profile athletes would consider Protege in the future.  
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I think he really has something here, based on what I've seen and heard about the shoes.  I really like the designs and colorways and the quality of the material seems decent at first glance.  Their not too crazy and it's something you could expect to see from the more high profile shoe companies.  My brother and I saw the commercial for Protege a few weeks back and were like "Damn!  Only $35?!?!  Those are nice!"  If I need another pair of kicks to play ball in sometime soon, I would seriously consider a pair.
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This isn't the first time a pro athlete has decided to create their own low cost shoe and apparel company.  Stephon Marbury created the Starbury line a couple of years ago which sells sneakers and apparel all under $20.  It's a great concept but many complained about the look and quality of the products.  As you can tell by the photo below, they are a little cheap looking and the style is something that needs to be improved.  It's still a great deal for families that are short on cash but I could see how a kid might feel embarrassed to rock these in public.   Hopefully he will have something that doesn't resemble a clown shoe when he joins the Celtics today.  Anything is an improvement on this horrific Orange and Blue Knick colorway.
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If you want to find out more about Protege sneakers check out the following:
Official Site:  ProtegeMVP.com
Al Harrington Interview with DIME Magazine
More Pics of the Protege line with player photos

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