Adidas Red Auerbach tribute shoe

A couple of weeks ago, John came across a sweet pair of Red Auerbach tribute kicks on Ebay. Knowing Celtics fans would want to see them, he posted them on the Red's Army Facebook page. Within minutes, Chris, a long-time Celtics fan and Reds'Army reader scooped-up the rare Adidas sneakers. Chris has since received the shoes, and sent me some pics and a brief write-up.

A few highlights of the Adidas Red Auerbach tribute shoe: Each pair is numbered 1-938. Less than a thousand pairs were made. The shoe features text all-over it with codes relating to significant moments in Red's life. "CSOC" represents Red drafting Chuck Cooper-the first African-American ever drafted in the NBA. 63FIVE64 signifies when Red put the first-ever African-American starting 5 out on the floor in the 1963-64 NBA season. The outsole is a translucent, parquet-pattern to emulate the floor of the Boston Garden. More pics and Chris' story after the jump..

I’ve been a Celtics fan since before my memory actually started. Baby pictures circulate in the family of me in a Bird jersey as an infant. My family is from Massachusetts, although my dad has the distinction of being raised in LA (boo). However, I was born in Florida, live in Texas, though family is most important to me and therefore Massachusetts represents family to me. It makes the shirts with “Boston is a Brotherhood” particularly special to me. Even if I wasn’t born and raised there, my heart has always driven me to love it. Growing up, spending my summers in Springfield cemented how good memories are born in MA.

Growing up in enemy territory always brought me back to home, my roots, and my family—a strong tie with the Boston Celtics. Jumping from state to state as a kid never brought me to a front row seat to a bandwagon—and only strengthened my love with the team—my team my family grew up knowing—to connect to a set of roots. Again, Boston is a Brotherhood. One moves state-to-state, meets all different sorts of fans, being friends with them, wondering if a passing fandom of the local team would be helpful. But no, not really, mine always rested with my family, with the Celtics.

The Celtics represent so much to me, my family, my history, that while I reside here in Austin, TX, I have to stick up for green and white.

In the world’s longest roundabout point, it’s that I’m always grounded to the Celtics in large part due to the greatest coach in the history of basketball: Red Auerbach, the man who defined the team. I was ecstatic to visit the mini shrine that existed at the Basketball Hall of Fame last year of Red, the man I was photographed with (in statue form) when I was just a kid back in 1993. I couldn’t be happier to get a set of shoes that honor him. When John posted these up on his Facebook feed, I couldn’t wait. I had to buy them immediately. They complement my Auerbach jersey quite nicely.