Kanye West's Yeezy Basketball Sneakers Could Miss NBA Season Start

Kanye West’s hope of debuting his first-ever Yeezy basketball sneakers this season has hit a snag after reports indicated the latest design was unlikely to get the nod from the NBA league office.

The American rapper, singer and song writer unveiled his Yeezy basketball sneakers designed in partnership with Adidas in a recent post on his official Instagram account.

While the monochromatic shoes would not violate the league’s color restrictions, according to ESPN, the reflective 3M heel panel will be banned by the league office as it would distract both in-arena spectators and television viewers.

The report claimed Carmelo Anthony faced a similar issue with his Jordan M10 signature sneakers with chrome finish heels while playing for the New York Knicks, which he later revised to a matte paint finish.

The NBA have loosened their restrictions on the color of the shoes players can wear ahead of the 2018-19 season. The new rules allow players to wear sneakers in any color unlike in previous years when it had to match the shade of the team’s uniforms.

According to Christopher Arena, NBA’s vice president of identity, outfitting and equipment, the league reviewed the shoes for the first half of the season in August, while the shoes to be worn after the All-Star weekend would be reviewed in December.

The Yeezy sneakers unveiled recently by West wre yet to be officially reviewed by the league office, but according to the industry source, the footwear was unlikely to be approved in its current avatar. However, alternative versions of the shoes without the reflective panel on the heel could be approved.

West recently revealed that the latest basketball edition of the Yeezy’s had been in the pipeline for three years and had undergone nearly 300 sample updates. The new model was expected to make its debut at some point during the upcoming 2018-19 season.

The ESPN report claimed non-signature Adidas athletes — Donovan Mitchell, Brandon Ingram, John Wall, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Nick Young — were expected to wear the new Yeezy sneakers in early 2019. The retail release dates and price points were yet to be determined.

West’s Yeezy sneakers, a brand in collaboration with German sports apparel and equipment manufacturer Adidas, is expected to be eventually manufactured in America with the rapper recently confirming that they were planning to set up a factory stateside.

"The Yeezys will be made in America," West said. "We're putting a factory in Chicago."

Nike currently hold a major stake in the NBA after they signed an eight-year $1 billion deal with the league which saw them manufacture uniforms for all 30 teams for the first time last season. Moreover, ESPN reported 67 percent players wore Nike or their Jordan brand subsidiary last season.

Among the top players currently not contracted by Nike are Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, who is with Under Armour, and 2017-18 regular season MVP James Harden, who is signed to Adidas.