Nike and Footlocker transformed an area of the Northline Mall into a little mini-arena. This was an all-ages event, packed with children and adults.

Hosted by Big Tigger, the event featured special appearances by athletes such as Vince Carter, Elton Brand, and Kobe Bryant. It was something that you would not expect to see in the middle of your local shopping mall. This was also the release of the exclusive Houston colorways.

A vicinity of the mall was roped off where a mini-basketball court was setup. In this area, kids were coached in running, blocking, dribbling, passing, and lay-up drills. During these drills they received feedback on their performance to better their game.

These coaching drills were broken up into segments where the pros would come out for an open forum. As the event went on, more and more passer-bys crowded around.

Vince Carter, representing the Flight players discussed everything from the VCV to playing in the “L”. Vince took questions from the audience and discussed his techniques.

Elton Brand representing the Force players discussed the Air Total Force Max. He took a series of questions from the audience ranging from when he first started playing ball at age 6 to how he works in his current team.

Kobe Bryant representing the Uptempo players discussed the Zoom Kobe I. When Kobe entered the room, you knew he was there. The crowd went nuts and rushed him as he was going to the stage. After the crowd calmed down, he discussed everything from his approach towards his game to his newly famous 81 points.

Not your typical day at the mall.