‘Naruto’: NBA Star Jeremy Lin Rocks Sleek Akatsuki Kicks

When you’re a die hard fan of Naruto, you find a way to let others know. Some otakus may get a seal tattoo while others opt in for a ninja headband, but Jeremy Lin is not like other fans. The NBA star is taking his fandom to the basketball court, and he is doing so in style.

The Internet began buzzing when Lin hit the court with the Atlanta Hawks recently. The player’s team was pitted against the Sacramento Kings, and Lin stepped to the team in a part of Naruto sneakers.

This time, the point guard went for broke in a pair of Akatsuki kicks, and fans are more than desperate to get a pair for themselves.

As you can see above, Lin’s shoes are pretty sleek. The kicks come from Adidas, and the colorways have got both otakus and sneakerheads feeling good. The shoes rock a white base with black-and-red highlights, but they shine at the sole. The shoe is lined with the red cloud design associated with the Akatsuki, giving Lin’s shoes a rather ominous look.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like these shoes are up for sale anywhere. Most professional athletes will get their game shoes customized, and Lin did that for these kicks. If you want a pair of Naruto sneakers, you’ll have to get someone to customize your Adidas, and that will run fans some serious coin.

Still, there are some shoe brands out there creating their own anime-inspired lines. In fact, Adidas is in the process of releasing its much-hyped Dragon Ball Z collection. To date, the brand has released high-end sneakers based on Goku, Goha, Cell, and Majin Buu. The collection has several more pieces to release, but fans should know the shoes sell out fast. If you want to really walk in Vegeta’s shoes, you will likely need Shenron’s help to nab the kicks before they are gone.

So, would you rock a pair of shoes like these…? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 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.