Metta World Peace to Wear Panda Shoes, Throw Panda Toy to Crowd at Games
By Ian Levy
Dec 10, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks small forward Metta World Peace reacts in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Metta World Peace, who’s in China this year to play with the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association, has a new pair of shoes out for this season, and they’re taking MWP’s adoration of the panda to a whole new level. The shoes have a stuffed panda bear toy, with the head sticking out on top of the tongue of the shoe and arms jutting from either side. That makes them seem like a novelty at first glance, since such a feature would render them practically unusable as a basketball shoe. Not to fear, says Metta — he’s got that part figured out, and in the best way possible (h/t to friend of the blog @MontaWorldPeace):
"The “panda friendly” shoes are designed for Metta World Peace and they have one interesting element to them: the “panda” has been attached to the tongue of the shoe. Now you might be thinking how would anyone be able to play with a big panda attached to the front of their sneakers? Metta World Peace has given us the following statement: “…before every game, I will be wearing the white or black shoes. The top part of the shoe has a panda on it…it is removable. I will be throwing it to a friend in the crowd. The person who catches it will be the Panda’s Friend of the day.”"
via Metta World Peace Unveils “Panda Friendly” Shoes | Courtside Access.
https://twitter.com/MettaWorldPeace/status/514149297256808448
Here’s the black version of the shoe/bear:
And the white:
It’s a whole new twist on MWP’s affinity for the “Panda’s Friend” phrase/name. So enjoy, basketball fans in China, and make sure you’re hand-eye coordination is finely attuned to flying stuffed panda bears.
UPDATE: Or maybe the panda doesn’t come off, and you get the whole shoe? SO MANY QUESTIONS.
https://twitter.com/MettaWorldPeace/status/514179300119949313