Eric Kilburn Jr. is a healthy and growing 14-year-old that stands 6 feet 10, and that is the problem. The young man from Michigan has size 23 feet and could not find shoes to fit himself until a collection of top-tier shoemakers and Shaquille O’Neal recently came to the rescue.
“I was flabbergasted,” Eric Kilburn, Jr. said to the Detroit Free Press after Shaquille O’Neal called him last Wednesday. “My soul left my body for a moment, I was so shocked.”
Shaq and his shoe endorser, Reebok, sent five pairs of size 22 shoes created for Shaq to Eric. Even though he needs a 23, Reebok claims the shoes have more toe room and are more comfortable.
“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.
Path To The Hardwood?
During the call, Shaq reportedly told Eric that his mother also couldn’t find his shoe size when he was the same age. For Eric, the last of shoe options affects his young athletic career, as last fall, he suffered a sprained ankle playing junior varsity football without cleats. “Big E” plays defensive tackle without cleats, wearing size 22 basketball shoes gifted by a friend who found them at a Nike outlet.
Similarly, Shaq sustained an injury playing high school football, leading him to the hardwood.
Wink, wink, Eric.
“Shaq said he made $900 million by listening to his mom and dad, so he told me to listen to my parents,” Eric continued.
Listening to his mom is what has gotten Eric to this point. It wasn’t easy to get the attention of Shaq, but Kilburn’s mother was relentless in getting the story of her son some media amplification which caught not only the big guy’s attention but also those of several athletic brands.
By late March, companies like Under Armour and Puma offered to help the Kilburns, scheduling representatives to come to Michigan to begin fitting Eric for shoes. Under Armour Senior Director of Footwear Development Robb Cropp’s effort is the largest foot scan the company has ever made shoes for.
“We are in rarefied space, there are not that many people in the world in these sizes,” Cropp said to the Detroit Free Press. “We had to help. We know the importance of sports to kids and their development.”
The Right New Friends
Additionally, Max Staiger, head of basketball operations for Puma, said extreme sizes like this usually come from basketball players. He has only seen two or three players with a size 23, but Puma can build custom shoes for Eric.
“There is no mold size for this, because it’s such a rarity from a mass production perspective,” Staiger said to DFP. “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.”
The Kilburns were looking at getting a single pair of shoes custom-made through an orthopedic specialist, which would be costly. Now Eric feels the love significantly from Shaq and more in his footwear struggles, and at age 14 his feet are still growing.
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