Indigenous Avoca artist Allan McKenzie designs custom NBA-inspired shoes for Red Dust

When indigenous artist Allan McKenzie was asked to design a pair of NBA-inspired shoes for global gaming giant 2K Sports his first thoughts turned to stories of creation.

Avoca Beach-based indigenous artist Allan McKenzie has been chosen by international basketball simulation game publisher 2K Sports to design a NBA-inspired custom pair of shoes that will be auctioned off for charity.

The proud Gamilaroi and Wiradjuri artist customised a pair of Adidas Harden Stepback 2.0 basketball shoes for the latest instalment of the global cross-console game NBA 2K22.

The shoes will be auctioned live on eBay with all proceeds from the sale going to Aboriginal charity Red Dust.

“I’m honoured that 2K asked me to collaborate on one of their most popular games, which drove most of the inspiration behind the design of the shoe along with the game of basketball,” McKenzie said.

“It’s amazing to be able to have my designs auctioned off to a cause close to my heart, that ties in so well with NBA 2K22.”

McKenzie said he always had a strong connection to basketball and drew inspiration from NBA uniforms as well as his indigenous heritage.

“People look at it and go `yeah, it’s just a show’ but there’s a lot of time and planning that I put into it,” he said.

“I guess for me I just want to infuse Aboriginal culture and our design into a shoe, I’ve incorporated a lot of rainbow colours into it. I want it to really stand out.

“So when I do my artwork I always think about the stories that our ancestors spoke about for thousands of years, so for me, to use those colours gives it that connection to the Rainbow Serpent, which is the creator of our stories.”

The Rainbow Serpent and NBA uniform colours helped inspire indigenous artist Allan McKenzie. Picture: supplied

Basketball is also a sport intrinsically linked to the origins of aboriginal charity Red Dust, which was started by commercial pilot John Van Groningen.

Between 1984 and 1990 Mr Van Groningen attended basketball competitions and sports festivals in the Aboriginal community of Lajamanu in the Northern Territory before delivering healthy lifestyle programs with visiting NBL players in the 1990s.

He went on to formalise his work with the establishment of Red Dust in 2006.

Red Dust CEO Scott Stirling said the charity was excited to partner with indigenous artist McKenzie and 2K.

Indigenous artist Allan McKenzie custom designing a pair of Adidas shoes for the basketball game 2K22. Picture: supplied

“Basketball is deeply embedded in Red Dust’s history. Our founder, John Van Groningen, was closely connected with the NBL and our first visits to remote communities involved NBL star players as volunteers,” Mr Stirling said.

“Their efforts inspired hundreds of athletes to follow suit across 25 years, engaging in inspirational two way exchanges with thousands of young Aboriginal kids in remote communities.”

The eBay auction will go live for 10 days from midday Monday, February 21, until March 2, 2022.