In partnership with Adidas, fashion designer and Fear of God Athletics founder Jerry Lorenzo has officially entered new territory. Fear of God Athletics will be represented as the eighth team in the Atlanta next-generation basketball league Overtime Elite (OTE).
According to a news release, Team Athletics will be outfitted in uniforms and performance footwear designed by Fear of God Athletics through the 2024-25 season, signifying what the label calls its “commitment to the next generation of athletes.” Things have already started on a winning foot as the team defeated back-to-back OTE champions City Reapers 97-90 at OTE Arena while debuting the new uniforms and shoes Nov. 8.
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“Giving back and being an example of what’s possible for young men and women in the next generation is what drives Fear of God,” Lorenzo, son of former MLB player, coach and manager Jerry Manuel, said in a fireside chat with former NBA player Matt Barnes during an event announcing the partnership Nov. 7. “I grew up in a sports family. My dad managed in the big leagues. Now he works with Major League Baseball, bringing the best [African American] talent back to baseball. It’s just been in our family to give back to the youth.”
Cilk McSweeney (center) joins Fear of God Athletics as the coach of the Overtime Elite team.
Adidas
“The values and the morals that Jerry lives by and what he stands for, all align with what we’re about in our program,” Fear of God Athletics coach Cilk McSweeney, who joins the team after coaching Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for 12 years, said.
The partnership comes just weeks before the release of Adidas x Fear of God II Basketball, Fear of God’s first true performance sneaker, to retailers in December. The shoe has already appeared in NBA games as Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent has worn it in multiple games this season.
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The new model is a follow-up to the Adidas x Fear of God I, which was released in December 2023. The Fear of God I was showcased similarly, worn by players for the University of Indiana and University of Miami’s basketball teams, but only for one game. The Fear of God and Overtime Elite partnership aims to be long-term and build on the latter’s mission to equip basketball players ages 16-20 with the resources they need to take their talents to the next level through non-traditional routes emphasizing academic acceleration and economic empowerment.
Team Athletics members. Front row, from left to right: Colin Paul, Cayden Daughtry, and Sean Morgan. Back row, from left to right: Ashley Sims II, Shon Abaev, and Michael Ephraim.
Adidas
“Connecting with [Fear of God] brings a lot of exposure to our league and to them, it’s a mutual thing,” Damien Wilkins, general manager and head of basketball for OTE, said. His role includes connecting the league to brands and providing players with exposure opportunities. “I also think it’s great for our players as well since Fear of God is definitely popular among that age group. All of our guys wear this stuff anyway, so it just made sense.”
“I’m very excited for the opportunities that could come with being a part of this relationship,” Fear of God Athletics senior point guard Shon Abaev, currently ranked 29th on the 2025 ESPN 100 list of high school recruits, said. “I was already wearing Fear of God and Essentials clothes. I’m grateful to be able to wear [Fear Of God Athletics] shoes on the court.”
Maurice Garland is a marathon-running, yoga-practicing writer who has had the same phone number and barber since 2003. He’s penned impactful stories for legendary publications ranging from Billboard to Black Enterprise. In addition to being a longtime mentor at youth media organization VOX ATL, he’s appeared on VH1, spoken at Spelman and Princeton, co-authored The Art Behind the Tape, edited Pimp C’s autobiography and J. Prince’s memoir.
