Shaquille O’Neal and Reebok team up to send sneakers to viral 6-foot-10 high school football player Eric Kilburn, who struggled to find shoes to fit his record SIZE of 23 feet
High school freshman Eric Kilburn Jr. recently received a gift from Reebok and Shaquille O’Neal after becoming an overnight sensation.
Kilburn, 14, is 6 feet 10 inches tall and stands at 23 feet, which makes finding footwear a challenge.
After Kilburn’s parents went public with the fight in early March, Rebook heard about his story and sent him five pairs of O’Neal’s custom size 22 shoes that he can fit into.
Under Armor and Puma also scheduled visits with him to measure his feet and get custom shoes and cleats.
“Since receiving them, Eric has been delighted to be able to wear these shoes and even shared with us for the first time in years that he couldn’t believe he even had options in different colors and styles that he could wear,” Reebok said in a statement. .
High school freshman Erik Kilburn Jr. has been having trouble finding shoes that fit his 23-foot size.
Reebok sent him five pairs of custom Shaquille O’Neal size 22 sneakers to help him out.
O’Neal also called Kilburn to offer support, even though he is currently recovering from hip surgery.
Kilburn also received a phone call from O’Neal, who recently underwent hip surgery, reaching out to offer support.
“We’re in a rarefied space, there aren’t that many people in the world in these sizes,” said Robb Cropp, Under Armour’s senior director of footwear development.
‘We had to help. We know the importance of sport for children and their development.’
Puma’s head of basketball operations, Max Staiger, said that while you often see extreme sizes like this in basketball players, he himself had only seen two or three players who were 23 feet tall.
“There’s no mold size for this, because it’s a rarity from a mass production perspective,” Staiger said.
“What we’re going to do looks and feels like a normal shoe, with just a little adjustment. …We have done this before with no problem. $1,500 for any pair of shoes is almost crazy, I don’t care what size it is.’
Staiger was referring to the $1,500 the Kilburns were told a custom shoe would cost after an orthopedic specialist measured Eric’s feet.
Rather than pay this monumental fee for a single pair of shoes, Kilburn decided to wear Crocs for two years in a row, even in snowy conditions.
Kilburn only played in three games this football season after suffering a high ankle sprain from which he is still recovering, due to having no choice but to play in the wrong shoe.
She has also suffered from blisters and ingrown toenails from wearing shoes that were too small.
Kilburn’s parents, Rebecca and Eric Sr., who are over six feet tall, told the The Flint Journal who decided to go public with Eric’s story (with his permission) after Nike and Adidas refused their help.
Kilburn gets his feet measured for custom cleats during a meeting with Under Armor