READ MY SHOES

AMONG THE MOST POPULAR BASKETBALL SHOES RELEASED IN 2023, few seem more ready-made for a fifth-grade art class or high school physics lesson than NBA star Devin Booker's new “Book 1s”.

If the heel tabs being inspired by book spines aren’t enough, then check out veteran footwear designer Ben Nethongkome's sketch of the shoe, a surreal da Vinci-style rendering that coincides with the color code for the Phoenix Suns, the only NBA franchise for which "dbook" has played since he became the team's first-round draft pick in 2015.

So many features of these nifty kicks resemble actual books -- the kind you read -- that they would look right at home in the school library. Which is why, perhaps, Nike’s new commercial for the Book 1s is actually set in a school library with a basketball court for a floor.

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Not that Nethongkome's colorful sketches of the shoes aren't inspiring enough, but here are five ideas for lessons students can do based on the Book 1.

1. Design your own personal sneakers. (All ages).

Through his signature shoes, Devin Booker not only gives a nod to literature, but he also pays tribute to family members, the places he grew up, the schools he attended, and the city where he currently plays for the NBA. The pull tabs also mention the year he was born.

​Using the above drawing of the Book 1 as a source of inspiration, assign your students to do the following:

Design a pair of sneakers that let people know who you are and where you are from. Whose initials would you include on your shoes and why? What places would you mention? How would you identify those places? By area code, zip code or some other way? Would you mention your school? What else would you put on your shoe to let people know who you are and what you represent?

2. Decode the secret messages. (Grade 5 and up)

Watch Nike’s Feb. 2024 commercial for the Book 1s, which shows Booker handling a basketball in a library that has an unusual floor. What message might Nike and Booker be trying to send by featuring a library with this kind of floor? Explain your answer.

3. Think abstractly (High school)

In the same commercial, Booker says his shoes occupy a “space between simple and complex.” What does this statement mean? Is this a physical “space” or something else? Does the word "continuum" help to conceptualize this space?

4. Compare and contrast (Upper elementary and up)

Select three design features from Devin Booker’s shoes that are simple and three that are complex. What did you select and why?

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5. Investigate the claims (High school physics)

The sketch for the Book 1s mentions that the shoes have a midfoot shank plate for “torsional rigidity.” Just what is torsional rigidity and what does it enable basketball players to do? Is it at all related to torque? And how much can a midfoot shank plate really help a player achieve this torsional rigidity?

Extra Credit:

The Book 1s were released on Feb. 17, 2024 during the NBA All-Star weekend. What else is happening in February that would make February an ideal time to release a pricey new shoe? Select one of the following answers to develop your theory: 1) Valentine's Day; 2) President's Day; 3) People are getting tax refunds; 4) February is Black History Month.

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Extra Credit 2:

According to Sports Illustrated and several other news sources, the Book 1s sold out within a matter of just two or three minutes. Do these news reports contain enough information to let you know what that really means for Nike in terms of dollars and cents? Why or why not?