Drake's Newest Air Jordan Collaboration Is Here
By Jake Woolf.
Despite being from Toronto, Drake loves the University of Kentucky's basketball team. It doesn't make sense to us either. He suited up for the team back in 2014, for what's become one of the rapper's most meme-able moments, and seems to have a sort of man crush on head coach John Calipari, name-checking him in tracks like “Can’t Have Everything” and posting photos of the Wildcats leader on his Instagram. And now, the 6 God is using his partnership with Air Jordan to pay homage to his love of Kentucky hoops.
Drake posted the new sneakers—a version of the Air Jordan 8—on Instagram and dubbed the set of kicks the "Calipari Pack." Based on the pictures, it looks like sneaker fans will have their choice of a white or black version of the kicks, feasibly to go with one's home and away Kentucky uniforms (and we're going to go ahead and assume Drake has both sets in his closet). They're a departure from the white/black/gold color scheme that OVO products usually favor and that Drake has consistently brought to his Jordan collaborations. But they're unmistakably OVO-issued thanks to the owl logo on the heel.
Despite the Air Jordan 8 being one of the stranger Air Jordan designs—featuring details like a strap across the foot and a fuzzy Jordan logo on the tongue—a pair in minimal black/blue or white/blue color scheme will be a welcome addition to any Jordan fan's rotation. (You know, unless you're a Kansas fan.) But it's probably best not to hold your breath on a release date for these. Remember, it was rumored all the way back in 2015 that OVO would in fact take on the Air Jordan 8 in its traditional color scheme, but those sneakers never saw the light of day.
This story originally appeared on GQ.
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