Clippers' Jamal Crawford set to drop third signature Brandblack sneaker

Jamal Crawford and Brandblack set to drop the Clippers forward's third signature sneaker, the J Crossover 3, on Black Friday.

Brandblack founder and designer David Raysse calls the J Crossover 3’s unique exterior a “crazy removable shroud with additional support...” The addition of the shroud makes Clippers forward Jamal Crawford's latest signature model particularly unique in the sneaker landscape.

Getting the J Crossover 3 to that point took quite a bit of time, however. The California-based sneaker company, which has Crawford on board and just announced the signing of football star DeSean Jackson, plans to launch the J Crossover 3 on Black Friday, but Crawford has already started wearing the shrouded sneaker in games for the Clippers.

“Everybody plays with the shroud (on),” Raysse tells SI.com. “I spent a lot of time engineering that thing so it stays put and does what it is supposed to do. I didn’t want some goofy little detail that wasn’t functional.”

courtesy Brandblack

The patterned element aims to provide support, Raysse says.

The Crossover 3 will have start with all-red and all-blue colorways, already worn by Crawford this season—the blue at home and red on the road. Soon we’ll also see Crawford sporting an all-black, a black and red combo and potentially an all-white. Of course, as the season continues, Raysse says he has a “couple of wacky (colorways) coming down the line,” including a silver release.

Along with the shroud, Raysse says an all-new “black foam” offers 20% more rebound than their last foam, which already had 20% more bounce than EVA foam. The new foam—aimed to offer less stress on the foot—helped the design team lower the shoe and run a new support plate full-length on both sides of the sneaker.

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Even with technology in the sole, expect everyone to notice the shroud.

Tim Newcomb covers stadiums, sneakers and training for Sports Illustrated. Follow him on twitter at @tdnewcomb.