After posting a mysterious teaser on Wednesday, Q4 Sports has announced its signing of NBA champion Marreese Speights. He will join Detroit Pistons guard Langston Galloway, New Orleans Pelicans guard E’Twaun Moore, and Indiana Pacers guard Darren Collison on the Q4 Sports roster.
Speights, a former Golden State Warrior, is now playing overseas for the Guangzhou Long-Lions after opting out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Q4 Sports, a burgeoning performance footwear brand that is breaking into the basketball market, could harness Speights’ six-month CBA deal to test the waters in China.
“We are actively building our presence in Asia as we understand that it’s growing tremendously,” Quintin Williams, co-founder and chief global designer at Q4 Sports, told WearTesters. “Q4 recently activated in Beijing and Shanghai to start our movement there. Mo is an extension of that.”
Formerly a Nike athlete that wore Paul George’s sneakers (as well as some Nike team models), Speights has been spotted in the Q4 Sports Specialist LX, which features upgraded materials and the Millenium’s tooling. Speights will have his own PE debut in China on October 20.
“Been cookin’ up my new sneaker heat wit the @Q4sports shoe family,” wrote Speights on Instagram. “Stay tuned for my new ‘Mo Buckets’ exclusive Q4 shoe!” The Specialist LX ‘Black/Gold’ pictured here is a general public release that will arrive this month.
“Mo represents everything we stand for at Q4. We consider ourselves the ‘underdogs’ in this scene of performance basketball sneakers,” says Quintin Williams. “We are coming into the scene very unconventional with our business model. With Mo signing a 6-month deal to play with the Guangzhou Lions in China, that route is unconventional to many. The difference is that he understands how his brand as an NBA Champion can be expanded globally. That’s why we are partners.”
In a game Friday night against the Washington Wizards, Speights led the Guangzhou Long-Lions with 41 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
Look for more from Q4 Sports and Marreese Speights in the coming weeks.
Images courtesy of Q4 Sports
