July 16, 2008 8:18 AM
Gilbert Arenas is the Matrix
But what amazes me is not the fact that a blog-appointed nickname has stuck in the States. I'm just blown away that now, at the Adidas stores in Beijing, Arenas is everywhere, posing like Neo in that black cape and advertising his just-finished Agent Zero Tour, where he opened up the World's Largest Adidas store here in town on July 5 (from this link, click on the reel of film in the bottom right corner of your screen to watch Arenas give a "Ni hao" for the tour). Adidas in Beijing sells the jerseys of players like China's fan favorite Tracy McGrady or Allen Iverson, but the only guy who has an entire section of shoe on sale is Arenas. And all of his shoes have ridiculous names. He's got the Black Presidents line. Hibachi. And of course, the standard Agent Zero sneaker. All retailing for 800 yuan ($117) or more.
And to think that some Chinese kids are walking around with a pair of "Vote for Gil" kicks because of a blog post almost three years ago.
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