Gordon Hayward has officially signed on with Chinese sneaker company Anta. The Celtics star forward made the announcement on Twitter on Monday night, confirming what had been rumored for weeks.
Hayward joins Klay Thompson as Anta’s top stars in the league, giving the company a footprint with stars on both of the NBA’s projected top teams this season, and returns to Boston where they once had the likes of Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo under contract. Hayward will also join Thompson in having his own signature sneaker.
The GH signature sneaker, no word on if they’ll get more creative than calling it the GH 1, will release in the fall of 2019 and he gave what appears to be a first look at the low-top sneaker in his tweet — it’s also possible this is just a PE and the signature will be a different look.
New season. New beginnings.
I'm excited to announce my partnership with Anta!
GH signature shoe dropping next fall 🔥
Big things to come… pic.twitter.com/zTiHh5nbWP
— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) October 16, 2018
It is, without a doubt, a sneaker. It’s certainly not flashy, which is not surprising given Hayward’s personality, and I’m not sure how I feel about the midsole that gets bigger on its way towards the heel, which makes it look kind of like a dad shoe (which might be appropriate for Hayward).
This will, like the Chef Curry’s, undoubtedly get roasted. That’s what happens to new sneakers, especially very plain ones. Really, though, the GH Anta looks perfectly OK and like a lot of low-top hoops sneakers on the market (just, not like many player signatures).
