James Harden comically points out his Vol 8s getting shelved by Clippers signature shoe stars: "Everybody that could"

Adidas released the James Harden Vol. 8 shoes earlier than many expected them to come out. The brand hadn’t even given a formal announcement of its availability to the public when the sneakers started popping out in a few retail stores. “The Beard,” who has been hyping the latest edition of his shoe line, was only too happy fans could already grab a pair.

Leading into the LA Clippers’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, the former MVP distributed free pairs to his teammates. The coaches and the training staff also got theirs, which made the pre-game scrimmage at Crypto.com Arena something of a spectacle. There was no mistaking whose signature shoes were on the feet of people working and playing for the Clippers.

A day later, James Harden posted a message on X (formerly Twitter):

“everybody went the Vol 8 way on Wednesday, well everybody that could”

The post was followed by a laughing emoji and the hashtag “Uno,” which is a reference to Harden’s jersey number. While the former Houston Rockets superstar gifted everyone shoes, not all of them can wear them, particularly in public.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George couldn’t be seen having the Harden Vol. 8s on their feet. Leonard is New Balance’s top draw, while George has his sneaker line with Nike. It would be a breach of contract to wear something other than the shoe brand they signed up to endorse.

Some of James Harden’s teammates who didn’t have a shoe line also didn’t wear the Vol. 8 sneakers. In LA’s starting lineup, George, Leonard and Terance Mann didn’t wear Harden’s top-of-the-line shoes. Mann looked like he was using something from Nike.

The LA Clippers bench, however, predominantly had Harden’s shoes. The coaches and the training staff unmistakably had them for the game.

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The White/Black/Scarlet colorway is the first James Harden Vol. 8 shoes available to the public

James Harden has already shown off different colorways of his Vol. 8 sneakers. Perhaps the most eye-catching version of the lot was the one resembling the bottle of J-Harden wines. He brought it out late last month in a game against the Toronto Raptors.

For the public, the first colorway that is available is the “Cloud White/Core Black/Scarlet model. It was the same shoe that Harden gave out to most of the Clippers’ staff. The sleek-looking shoes are hyped up by the point guard as the best basketball shoes around.

The price for the first release colorway is set at $160.