After Under Armour and UCLA signed the largest apparel deal in NCAA history — 15 years, $280 million — it was only a matter of time before a celebration was in order.
On October 7, Jarron, Jacques Slade, Drew Ruiz, myself, and several other media/sneaker site personalities were invited to Venice Beach, California, to check out a beachside practice for both the men’s and women’s UCLA basketball teams. Oh, and we got to play a little ball while we were there.
Jarron, Jacques, and I were teamed together with two UCLA alums, Nick Kazemi and Allison Taka, and proceeded to lose our first two games. The format was half court, 3 on 3, playing by 3’s and 2’s, at least on the main court — the lower court played 1’s and 2’s. We played 15 minute running clock halves with 5-minute halftimes and 15 minutes between games. With only four teams it meant playing back to back in 90° blacktop games — I’m from Texas, but it was hot.
After the Championship game the UCLA women’s team entered the main court and proceeded to throw down a light 30-minute practice session, followed by the men’s team. Yes, LiAngelo Ball was there. No, I didn’t see Lonzo or Lavar. After some passing and almost-fast break drills, the fun began. A dunk contest, skills challenge, and 3-point contest ended the players’ night. But it wasn’t over.
Ty Dolla $ign was up next, beginning his concert just as the sun set. A short set — he only had 45 minutes before Venice Beach noise ordinances set in — didn’t mean no intensity because the crowd in the bleachers was invited onto the main court in front of the stage. Ty also brought his own live band, featuring a lead guitar and drummer, and he rocked the bass himself on the last two songs.
Now, what you are really here for: the shoes. The Under Armour Drive 4 was featured everywhere (performance reviews here and here). From the general release Black/Bayou Blue to the blacked-out version, there was variety. The hottest had to be the Icon version, featuring the Venice Sunrise and Sunset print on the upper.
The Sunrise uses a white/cream upper with blue palm tree print along the lateral side and a gum bottom. The Sunset features the same palm tree print but flaunts a royal blue and black upper. These two colors were only available until October 8 at midnight, so if you missed out, you might get lucky on Ebay.
Take a look at the gallery of images below for a complete rundown of the event. If you were in the area and stopped by, let us know. If Jarron or I talked to you at the event, even better.
Images courtesy of Under Armour
