This one is surely a collaboration for the ages. Two of the brands partaking in the collaboration have formed a great part of countless teenages, quite occasionally trickling to adulthoods, and even later. Part of the reason for their universal, irrespective-of-age appeal may be seen in their brand communications. As brands dealing in two very different kinds of consumer goods, even if they may find remote correlation in a sense of ‘play’, both Nike and UNO champion the individual and individualism, and are all for healthy competition. ‘Just do it!’ meets ‘50 Years of Being Wild’ in spectacular fashion, with a resolve, a gusto that celebrates the victor with vibrancy.

Featuring a product line developed in coordination with the 2019-20 NBA Most Valuable Player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, toy company Mattel, Inc. has dropped news of this collaboration, featuring iconic Nike products doused in UNO’s signature colours. The three primary hues and green adorn the shoes in whole, creating four unicoloured, solid, chunky sneaker designs; and in conjugation, much like the ‘Wild’ cards that bear all four. Apart from the colours, the products featured in the collaboration also incorporate several other design elements from the cards, along with celebrating Giannis and his family’s love for UNO. “I want every product to be genuine and authentic, and playing UNO with my brothers is a big part of our lives,” stated Antetokounmpo on the high-profile collaboration. “The Nike team has done a great job bringing my ideas to life, and I think they have created something for every Nike, UNO and basketball fan in this collection,” alluding to just how universally appealing the product line is: delightful in both appearance and spirit.

The collaborative product lineup is the complete package, and anyone even remotely interested in any of the three brand images coalescing together will struggle to pick only one. Footwear may just be the headline of the whole collection, featuring Nike’s signature Zoom Freak 3 and Air Force 1 sneakers, and the Offline slip-ons, with UNO colourways and Giannis’s design. Additionally, there will be a Zoom freak 3 exclusive, members-only black colourway with an UNO 50^th anniversary logo on the tongue, accompanied by wild cards across the toe.

A special edition Nike apparel capsule including a classic cotton t-shirt and hat with Giannis’s number displayed will outline the apparel part of the collaborative lineup. While both the footwear line and apparel capsule will be available on Nike’s official website in the coming months, UNO’s side of the ‘facelift’ will include a Giannis-branded UNO deck that will be sold on Mattel Creations and NTWRK starting November 11 this year. The same deck will also be integrated in the UNO! Mobile app, available on both Android and iOS devices November 1 through 30. Interestingly, the limited edition card deck will also feature a new rule, wherein players can “force a turnover” to steal an extra discard. On a lighter note, that might just spell further chaos for UNO games that are already sufficiently heated bouts: but then again, we all know a thing or two about UNO rules, don't we?