In celebration of the the Black History Month, Nike has announced its plan to release a collection of products that honors six athletes and coaches who have made a big impact in basketball, football, running, soccer and skateboarding.
According to an article posted on Nike.com, the the 2015 BHM Collection will pay tribute to sporting legends Theotis Beasley, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Jerry Rice, Brianna Rollins, C. Vivian Stringer and John Thompson.
Only 23 years old, Beasley, a California skateboarder, turned pro in 2011 and is part of the Nike Skateboarding Team.
Born in Germany, Boateng plays for the Ghana national soccer team, and is a midfielder, forward, and vice-captain. He signed for Hertha BSC in July 1994 when he was only seven years old and played for the team until 2007.
52-year-old Rice is a retired American football player. He played 20 seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver and won three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers.
Rollins, a track and field athlete, is only 23 but she has a lot of awards under her belt. She is the current American record holder in the 100 m hurdle event with a time of 12.26.
A prominent women's college basketball coach, Stringer currently holds one of the best records in women's basketball history. Currently, she is the head coach of the Rutgers University women's basketball team.
At 73, Thompson has come a long way as a basketball coach. He was the first African-American college coach to win a major collegiate championship when his team Georgetown University Hoyas defeated the University of Houston at the NCAA Men's Division Basketball Championship in 1984.
Included in the collection is LeBron 12 BHM, which will come in Black, while, and metallic silver. It will be sold for $220.
Another piece is the Kobe 9 Elite BHM, which has designs in back and white. It will cost $250.
Kyrie 1 BHM, which we be sold for $130, has white/dark and grey/black options.
A portion of proceeds from the sales will go to the Ever Higher Fund, which supports organizations that help underserved youth explore their potential in sports. As part of the program, high school students would get the chance to contribute their ideas with the Nike design team.
The collection has 28 new items, including 12 shoes and 16 other apparel items for men and women, reports The Christian Science Monitor.
Nike has been paying homage to black athletes for decades, and have tapped NBA stars to endorse their products. In fact, the brand was able to generate $300 million from the sales of LeBron James sneakers, reports Forbes. This makes James Nike's biggest marketing partner.
The Kobe 8 signature came in second with sales going over a whopping $50 million in U.S. alone. The third spot goes to Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks whose Jordan Melo M9 has a U.S. retail sales of $40 million.
