SALT LAKE CITY — Nike has issued a statement about Duke basketball player Zion Williamson’s exploded shoe.
On Wednesday night, Williamson’s foot blew through his Nike shoes, which led him to sprain his knee and leave the game after only one possession on the court.
Williamson was wearing the Nike PG 2.5, which are Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George's signature shoe.
Multiple critics — including former President Barack Obama, Utah Jazz legend, Carlos Boozer and current Utah Jazz phenom Donovan Mitchell — spoke out about the incident. Critics even slammed Nike for what happened.
Nike issued a statement on the shoe scare Thursday.
- "We are obviously concerned and want to wish Zion a speedy recovery," Nike said in a statement, according to ESPN. "The quality and performance of our products are of utmost importance. While this is an isolated occurrence, we are working to identify the issue."
The sportswear company Puma tweeted out that the incident “wouldn’t have happened in Pumas.” The company later deleted the tweet, according to Fox News.
Nike has seen apparel issues before. Back in 2017, multiple tore their new Nike NBA jerseys, which came after Nike became the jersey developer for the NBA, according to Bloomberg.
Nike’s stock fell from $84.84 to $83.68 after the Williamson incident, which represents a 1.17 percent of drop, The Washington Post reported.