Interview // Jack Gray Breaks Down The Upgraded adidas Crazy 1 Retro

words, images & interview // Nick DePaula When adidas first dropped The Kobe back in the fall of 2000, it was a huge departure for the brand’s design department. First of all, the design was actually led by a team from Audi, with the shoe’s sleek and modern design language drafting off of their new TT coupe. It was all new territory for The Three Stripes, and made for some daring designs that captured a new audience just in time for Kobe Bryant’s three-peat run at the start of the new millennium. While the design itself was a huge shift for adidas, the performance also made a leap forward. The brand moved away from the beloved Feet You Wear line’s platform touting natural motion in an exaggerated podular design that mimicked the human foot, opting instead for a more iconic signature look centered around the speed, precision and style of Kobe Bryant’s game. Now more than a decade later, the model is enjoying a retro return under the name “Crazy 1.” The name may have changed, but the adidas Basketball team also updated several other aspects under the hood, modernizing it so today’s players can wear it at the highest level of the sport. All-Star point guards Damian Lillard and John Wall will both enjoy the re...