NBA Star Kevin Porter Jr Hits Court with Itachi Sneakers

Naruto has managed to find its way into numerous real life sporting events. Whether it be a Mixed Martial Artist showing off Konoha hand signs to amp up the crowd before a big match, or two friends in the National Football League pretending to create a Rasengan as an end zone victory dance, the ninja franchise continues to find new ways of entering the world of sports. Now, one NBA player has worn attire that honors one of the most dangerous members of the Akatsuki who was responsible for the destruction of the Uchiha Clan.

Reddit User C4meronx3 shared some close up photos of Kevin Porter Jr's sneakers that have a custom image of Itachi Uchiha painted on the side of each, showing off a brand new Konoha interpretation of these Puma sneakers that are afflicted with the Sharingan:

Kevin Porter Jr. rocking some sick kicks against the Knicks from r/Naruto

The Uchiha Clan had one of the most cursed bloodlines of the franchise, with Itachi being goaded into killing his clan at the behest of several shadow players in the world of the ninja. When Itachi finally faced off against his younger brother, the older sibling could feel nothing but remorse, and perhaps affection, for Sasuke and the predicament he was in. With Itachi essentially throwing the fight, his eyes were transferred to Sasuke.

With a brand new level of Sharingan pumping in his head and his thirst for revenge against Konoha growing, the living Uchiha brother swore to cut a bloody path through the ninja village that was his home for so many years. Of course, the Sharingan wielding ninja eventually "mellowed out" and became a shadow ninja for the village.

Kevin Porter Jr is currently a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, which is quite the achievement for a 19 year old b-ball player. It's clear that Porter has a love of the franchise and is doing his part to spread the word on the Naruto anime series.

What did you think of these custom Itachi sneakers? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the Hidden Leaf Village!

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Naruto follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The series ran for 700 chapters overall, and was adapted into an anime series by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex that ran from 2002 to 2017. The series was popular enough to warrant a sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations which is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and features the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.