Kawhi Leonard debuts his eponymous New Balance sneaker at the All-Star Game.

That night, Kawhi also became the first recipient of the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP trophy.

Over All-Star Weeekend we witnessed a debut that gave us Michael Jordan vibes. Kawhi Leonard has been making waves in the NBA, and it should come as no shock that he managed to pull this off – in a single night, the Los Angeles Clippers small forward debuted his first signature sneaker, the New Balance Kawhi, and became the first ever recipient of the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP trophy.

Kawhi Leonard’s incredible shooting performance earned him the MVP trophy, but his sneakers were a major highlight all on their own. Named after the star player, the sneaker represents his quirky personality as well as New Balance’s re-entry into the sport.

The New Balance Kawhi’s uppers are a traditional combination of mesh and overlays. At the medial and lateral panels, an intricate mosaic is formed using red, orange and blue stitching, which seem to stretch into the sneaker eyelets.

The sneaker’s tongue is matte red with a rainbow print at the top, and bears Kawhi’s logo – a capital “K” in a box with a “2” up top. At the ankle, you get a very aggressive red frequency laid over a muted blue grid –symbolizing his bursts of shots that can carry an entire game. A large New Balance logo features on the heel cap.

At the moment there is no news on the foam used in the midsoles, but the outsoles are intriguing on their own. The traction pattern mirrors the mosaic on the lateral and medial panels. The outsoles are transparent but tinted blue, allowing the colorful pattern printed under the midsoles to be seen.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

At the moment, there is no date set for a local drop of the New Balance Kawhi, but rumors hint at a September/October drop. Stay tuned for updates!

After witnessing Kawhi’s incredible performance over All-Star Weekend, would you use the OMN1S and Kawhi on court? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

All images: Sneaker News

Read more:

A Nike Zoom Kobe 5 Protro with Lakers team colors