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Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard, Washington Wizards' John Wall to introduce Adidas gear in Portland [The Oregonian, Portland, Ore. :: ](Oregonian (Portland, OR) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) March 14--Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and Washington Wizards guard John Wall will appear together next week at a Portland event to launch shoes, socks, hats and sweatshirts with a springtime floral theme. The Florist City Collection celebrates the start of spring, Adidas says in a news release Friday, along with the two NBA All-Stars who have emerged, almost by default, as the leading basketball endorsers for the Adidas brand. Lillard's collection is an homage to the Rose City; Wall's, to the springtime cherry blossom's of the nation's capital. Wall and Lillard will be appear at Compound Gallery, 107 N.W. 5th Ave., from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday to sign autographs, an appearance that will coincide with collection's release. Fans who purchase items from the Florist City Collection will gain VIP access to the meet and greet line. The suggested retail price for the shoes is $125. From the news release: Damian's Rose City edition Crazy 1 pays homage to Portland's famous rose gardens and Rose Festival with a rose print on the upper and laces and green detailing mirrored after the flower's stem. Wall's Cherry Blossom edition Crazy 1 comes in time for fans to lace-up a pair for this year's Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. The cherry blossom print on the outsole and laces is contrasted with a grey upper designed to replicate the stone used in the monuments throughout the Nation's Capital. Socks feature a sublimated floral print and iconic Portland and D.C. landmarks while the sweatshirts designed in partnership with Portland based Bridge & Burn feature Wall and Lillard specific detailing on the sleeve. Upon entering the professional ranks, Lillard signed up as an Adidas athlete. For marketing purposes, he immediately took a back seat to Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Dwight Howard of the Houston Rockets. But after two knee injuries to Rose and Lillard's play -- 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year and this year's All-Star selection -- Lillard has appeared prominently in Adidas promotions. Lillard competed in Adidas gear while at Weber State University in Utah. And, based on the photo at left, he played at least part of his high school career in Adidas sneakers. He shows up unannounced at the Adidas Employee Store in North Portland at the Adidas America headquarters, often just to look at the shoes and apparel. His future with the brand has been thrown into doubt, however, because of a report that his Adidas contract includes a clause that he can opt out after this season, having met certain performance incentives. Wall was a Reebok-endorsed athlete until last season when he switched to Adidas, Reebok's parent company. Wall's transition from Reebok to Adidas was among the first signals that Canton, Mass.-based Reebok was moving away from team-based sports. -- Allan Brettman ___ (c)2014 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |