Kicks

Skechers Gifts Joel Embiid Gold Medal Sneakers After Olympics

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid received gold Skechers SKX FLOAT sneakers.

Michael Ehrlich

The Skechers SKX FLOAT.
The Skechers SKX FLOAT. / Skechers
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Returning to the United States with his first Olympic gold medal around his neck, Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid now has shoes to match. Skechers surprised their top NBA endorser with a custom pair of his SKX FLOAT basketball shoes in a gold medal-inspired colorway.

The SKX FLOAT - worn by Embiid during the Paris Games in a special red, white and blue design - is an advanced low-top basketball shoe that offers exceptional stability and control with strategically placed TPU designed to help lock the foot into place.

The Los Angeles-based brand presented Embiid with his exclusive gold medal kicks, sharing the moment and a detailed look at the design via an Instagram collab post.

Skechers captioned the video, "A gold medalist deserves some gold kicks. We surprised our man @joelembiid with a pair of shoes that are fit for a champ. Congratulations, Joel! #comfortthatperforms."

Embiid signed with Skechers earlier this year and debuted the brand upon his return to the court in April. In his first Olympics, the 2022-23 NBA MVP averaged 11.2 points and 3.8 rebounds, including 19 points in the semifinals against Serbia and reigning MVP Nikola Jokić.

The face of Skechers' new basketball division, Embiid is the latest NBA star to join the roster that includes Julius Randle of the Knicks and Terance Mann of the Clippers. Los Angeles Sparks' rookie star Rickea Jackson recently signed with the brand, becoming the first WNBA player to rock Skechers.

Embiid next will turn his attention to the upcoming NBA season, where the additions of Paul George, Eric Gordon and selection of Jared McCain make the Sixers a favorite in the Eastern Conference.

Although the gold medal-inspired version of the SKX FLOAT is exclusive for Embiid, basketball players can grab a variety of colorways of the shoes now via www.Skechers.com with additional color combinations to drop ahead of the NBA season.

Stay locked into Kicks on SI for all your footwear news from the NBA and the rest of the sports world.

Related News: Adidas just dropped Anthony Edwards' Olympic sneakers in a patriotic colorway.

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Michael Ehrlich

MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com

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