In Oklahoma City, Darnell Mayberry reported Thunder G Russell Westbrook "could soon become the latest player with a signature shoe." Jordan Brand is reportedly "set to release Westbrook’s first signature shoe this summer." The early indication is that it will be "called the Jordan Westbrook 0." A retail price for the line "has yet to be announced." Westbrook signed with Jordan Brand in October '12 (NEWSOK.com, 2/4).
CARS FOR KIDS: ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reported three players at the NFL Combine later this month "will win Porsche 911 Carrera cars." The offer comes from adidas, which is "promising the cars, worth about $83,000 each, to the three fastest players in the combine's 40-yard dash who sign with the company before they step up to the line." The cars are "wrapped in a cheetah print that matches the company's new Uncaged adizero 5-star cleat" (ESPN.com, 2/4).
LAST MAN STANDING: In St. Louis, Rick Hummel reports late Baseball HOFer Stan Musial's company, Stan the Man Inc., on Friday "will close its doors." The company is "quickly running out of Musial’s signed memorabilia and the little inventory left is being moved to a warehouse." Company VP Dick Zitzmann speculated that the current inventory "would last another four to six months" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/5).
SKIN IN THE GAME: In N.Y., Stuart Emmrich in a piece for the Style & Fashion section notes the Australian Open "serves as a chance for the players to show off their new look for the coming year." And this year, "skin was in, with plenty of cutouts and peekaboo effects in the women’s outfits throughout the two-week tournament, particularly in the Nike dresses worn (and designed in part) by Serena Williams." Others "upped their fashion game as well, many dressed by Nike" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/5).
