Shaquille O’Neal and Reebok team up to send sneakers to viral six-foot-ten high school football player Eric Kilburn, who struggled to find shoes to fit his record-breaking SIZE 23 feet
High School freshman Eric Kilburn Jr. recently received a gift from Reebok and Shaquille O’Neal after becoming an overnight sensation.
The 14-year-old Kilburn stands at an enormous 6-feet-10-inches tall and has size 23 feet, making finding footwear a challenge.
After Kilburn’s parents went public about the struggle early March, Rebook heard about his story and sent him five pairs of O’Neal’s custom sized 22 sneakers that he is able to fit into.
Under Armour and Puma also scheduled visits with him to measure his feet for custom cleats and sneakers.
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‘Since receiving, Eric’s been thrilled to be able to wear these shoes and even shared with us for the first time in years he couldn’t believe he even had options on different color ways and styles he could wear,’ Reebok said in a statement.
High School freshman Erik Kilburn Jr. has struggled to find sneakers to fit his size 23 feet
Reebok sent him five pairs of Shaquille O’Neal’s custom size 22 sneakers to help him out
O’Neal also called Kilburn to offer support, despite currently recovering from hip surgery
Kilburn also received a phone call from O’Neal, who recently underwent hip surgery, reaching out to offer support.
‘We are in rarified space, there are not that many people in the world in these sizes,’ Under Armour Senior Director of Footwear Development Robb Cropp said.
‘We had to help. We know the importance of sports to kids and their development.’
Puma’s head of basketball operations Max Staiger said that although extreme sizes like this are often seen in basketball players, he himself had only seen two or three players with size 23 feet.
‘There is no mold size for this, because it’s such a rarity from a mass production perspective,’ Staiger said.
‘What we will make looks and feels like a normal shoe, with just a little tweak. … We’ve done this before with no issue at all. $1,500 for any pair of shoes is almost insanity, I don’t care what size it is.’
Staiger was alluding to the $1,500 that the Kilburns were told it would cost for a custom shoe after having an orthopedic specialist measure Eric’s feet.
Rather than pay this monumental fee for a single pair of shoes, Kilburn decided to wear Crocs for two years straight, including in snowy conditions.
Kilburn only played in three games this football season after suffering a high ankle sprain that he is still recovering from, due to having no choice but to play in improper footwear.
He has also suffered from blisters and ingrown toe nails due to wearing shoes that are too small.
Kilburn’s parents, Rebecca and Eric Sr. who both stand at over six feet tall stated to the The Flint Journal that they decided to go public with Eric’s story (with his permission) after being turned away by Nike and Adidas for help.
Kilburn has his feet measured for customized cleats during a meeting with Under Armour
