Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is having a huge week in NYC.
On Sunday afternoon, he caught the US Open men’s final action and appeared hours later to watch the New York Liberty’s win over the Las Vegas Aces. Come Monday, Booker was out and about in the city streets, mingling with fans and connecting with handful of significant sneaker personalities.
Booker’s New York tour included giveaways of his signature sneaker, the Nike Book 1, by the truckload. The NBA star shared a clip on his Instagram story which included a stop at the West 4th Street Courts — aka the famous streetball court “the Cage.” Booker personally handed out pairs of his shoes in its upcoming “Python” colorway and posed with fans in attendance before meeting up with a duo of fellow Nike needle movers.
Booker would later share images of himself meeting with Union Los Angeles owner Chris Gibbs and Fragment Design founder Hiroshi Fujiawara. The two-time Olympic gold medalist gifted a pair of the Nike Book 1 to Fujiawara, which the Fragment Design founder shared on his own Instagram page. Booker presumably gifted a pair to Gibbs as well, although that detail isn’t immediately clear based on the images.
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A post shared by Hiroshi Fujiwara (@fujiwarahiroshi)
Fans of Booker may recognize that this isn’t the first meet-up between the NBA star and the Union Los Angeles owner. Gibbs was featured in Booker’s self-shot camcorder teasers for his Nike sneaker. The clips, which began rolling out in September 2023, included Gibbs’ feedback on the signature shoe.
“I’m also a big fan of mixing textures, it looks good,” Gibbs said.
Some fans are now speculating that a Union x Nike Book 1 and/or Fragment Design x Nike Book 1 could be in the works, although neither of the hypothetical collaborations have been revealed as of yet.
Tuesday, Booker’s tour of the city continued as he met up with famed graffiti artist and frequent Nike collaborator Futura. While wearing Futura’s 2024 Nike SB Dunk Low collaboration, Booker also gifted the artist a pair of the “Python” Nike Book 1.
For fans who weren’t lucky enough to get a free pair in person, the “Python” Nike Book 1 will be released Sept. 12 for a retail price of $150 from SNKRS and select Nike Basketball retailers.
