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Adidas unveils Arthur Ashe collection for Black History Month

Posted at 2:38 PM, Feb 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-03 18:52:07-05

RICHMOND, Va. -- Famed tennis player and Richmond native Arthur Ashe, Jr. has been honored by the Adidas shoe company, with a commemorative sneaker collection for Black History Month.

Three basketball shoes and the “Stan Smith” class tennis sneakers got the “Arthur Ashe” colorways for Black History Month.

The three basketball shoes will be worn on-court by James Harden, Damian Lillard and Derrick Rose in select games throughout Black History Month.

The Adidas Harden Vol. 1 features a subtle black and grey Primeknit construction with premium white leather while the D Lillard 3 and D Rose 7 Boost each feature classic white uppers with high-contrast black panels to pay tribute to the traditional performance tennis gear from Ashe’s era.

An “AA” graphic printed on the sockliner represents the sportsman’s initials and also pays tribute to AIDS Awareness and his Anti-Apartheid stance, according to sneakernews.

A 1975 graphic honors his Wimbledon victory and No. 1 world ranking at the time. He was the first African American to win Wimbledon.

The Stan Smith model – another tennis great – has also been designed by Adidas to pay homage to Ashe,  the first black male to win a Grand Slam tennis title, three times.

The shoe features a stenciled portrait of Ashe on the tongue and a black trim on the white leather upper. The Arthur Ashe Stan Smith is limited to 1,975 pairs, a reference to his 1975 Wimbledon victory.

Adidas still has the Stan Smith shoes for sale, for $100.

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