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Adidas Celebrates Louisville Cardinals' Rich Hoops History

Adidas and Louisville tipped off the NCAA Basketball season in style.

Pat Benson

Adidas basketball celebrated the Louisville Cardinals.
Adidas basketball celebrated the Louisville Cardinals. / adidas
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Last Friday night was the unofficial start to college basketball season. The top programs around the country tipped off the season with midnight madness events. By now, fans should know that sportswear brand throws a party like adidas.

Adidas Basketball started the college basketball season in style, joining forces with the University of Louisville students at Louisville Live to unveil the highly anticipated Cardinals-inspired Louisville Centennial silhouette.

The event transformed the Yum Center into a hub of excitement, with the iconic Three Stripes brand hosting a thrilling 1K buzzer-beater challenge.

Emcees Bruce Dougherty, former in-game host for Louisville, and Ari Waller, in-arena host for the Los Angeles Sparks, engaged the crowd alongside Louie the Cardinal.

Together, they energized fans as they announced three raffle winners, with Louie sinking baskets to reveal the lucky recipients. In addition, students were treated to exclusive custom merchandise, elevating their game-day experience and building anticipation for the upcoming season.

The Louisville Centennial, a tribute to the school’s basketball legacy, is set to launch later this fall and will be available for purchase on adidas.com and select retailers.

This is far from the first time adidas has thrown a major party on Louisville's campus. Last October, NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell arrived on campus wearing Cardinals-themed adidas sneakers to watch Louisville play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

With college basketball season here, fans can expect adidas to grab more headlines throughout the year. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the NCAA and beyond.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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