spitals, bingo, card playing, those sorts of things, while thos

RIO DE JANEIRO -- While the mens basketball teams first order of business is to win the gold medal at the Rio Games there will be some other basketball business taking place on the court.Shoe business, and it can get personal.Michael Jordan is the shining example of how on-court moments can take on another life through sneakers in this global multi-billion dollar industry. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and other members of the United States Olympic mens basketball team could have a similar opportunity in Rio. In an ideal world for players and shoe companies there will be a memorable golden moment that goes viral -- leading to an `it must be the shoes phenomenon.Nike is the official apparel provider for the team, but Jordan Brand, Adidas and other companies know the Olympics provide a unique chance to build a legacy around their product. And while it wasnt obvious in a Nike promotional photo of the team, Harrison Barnes and Kyle Lowry are sponsored by Adidas; Klay Thompson by ANTA -- and all are allowed to wear their non-Nike footwear during the games.The one thing thats a little bit different between a lot of the Olympic models versus a new signature shoe for an athlete like Kevin Durant or LeBron James, is a lot of the Olympic stuff ties back into the history thats happened previously, said Brandon Edler, Finish Line content manager and creative strategist. Nostalgia is still one of the best forms of marketing and retro stuff continues to be a very strong product point for a lot of these brands. Its a fine balance between that and anything thats new thats being unveiled around the Olympics.Theres a good opportunity for somebody like Carmelo Anthony to go out there and drop 44 in an Olympic game and that being an iconic moment. Something like Vince Carter dunking over a 7-foot guy in the Nike Shox. That made Nike Shox one of the biggest shoes after that happened.Carter had fans around the world on their feet with his dunk over 7-foot-2 Frenchman Frederic Weis in the 2000 Olympics.Many sneaker enthusiasts associate the Jordan 3 with Jordan winning the 1988 dunk contest. The red and black Jordan 12 was nicknamed the Flu Games after Jordan scored 38 points in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals despite an illness. Michael Johnsons gold shoes are still talked about from when he broke the 200 and 400 meter world records at the 1996 Olympics.Much of this years Nike Olympic products have been planned for 24 months, according to Nike Basketball color lead Eugene Rogers.Durants latest signature shoe, the KD 9, first released in late June in a grey colorway, but the red, white and blue version is what Durant has worn during the Olympic exhibition games.We kind of knew Kevin Durant would be the guy who would almost be the leader, said Nike Basketball senior design director Leo Chang, who worked on the KD 9, Kyrie 2 and Hyperdunk 2016. It was kind of his time to shine and we wanted that moment to be great for him.Durant certainly isnt the only player rocking new kicks. Anthony and Jimmy Butler debuted the Jordan 31 in the team picture two weeks ago. Paul George has been wearing the Nike Hyperdunk 2016 Flyknit. Kyrie Lowry is wearing Adidas summer release of the Crazylight 2016.I think everybodys going to be watching us, so for the brand its very important, Butler said, with me and (Carmelo) being here and both wearing the shoe, I think everyone gets to see what it looks like, how it performs and hopefully it makes us play to the top of our game.Each company benefits from a global audience that dwarfs the NBA Finals, Super Bowl or World Series, but each also hopes for an iconic moment that builds a storyline that lasts decades.You always kind of have to anticipate a moment of greatness like that, Chang said. That means the best execution of the product out on the floor at that time so when that moment is remembered, people remember the product as well.The marketing opportunities have gone beyond what the athletes wear at the Olympics. Sneaker companies have re-released several models from the past with Olympic-inspired colors or other attachments.Edler said the hype and patriotism surrounding the Olympics always drives consumers to the stores and people in the United States are drawn to red, white and blue colorways.Companies arent just putting out special editions to coincide with the Olympics, but also giving planned product an Olympic theme. James, Kobe Bryant and Steph Curry have had red, white and blue versions of their signature line this summer -- and none are playing in Rio.Nike has been releasing the Nike Air Prestos during the last year, so thats going to be a shoe thats Olympified, said Corey Bullough, owner of Fice Gallery and Boutique in Salt Lake City. Same thing with the (Nike Air More) Uptempo, thats a shoe they decided to bring back six months ago. ... They tend to stick to their formula for the year.This year players and shoe companies are hoping the formula includes a memorable golden moment at the Rio Games.Wholesale Custom Soccer Jerseys Online . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. Custom Jerseys On Sale . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. http://www.soccerjerseyscustom.com/ . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Discount Custom Jerseys . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency.PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Marine veteran Joyce Ralph sometimes stays at home in Massachusetts instead of going for a bike ride or doing other things she likes to do. She feels too anxious because of her post-traumatic stress disorder.Army veteran Paul Miosek sometimes feels isolated at his home in New York. No one else he knows is in a wheelchair.The two were among a group of about 50 veterans who took part in July in the Veterans Affairs New England Summer Sports Clinic in Rhode Island. For a week, they kayaked, water skied, cycled and sailed -- activities designed to get them and other veterans thinking more about what they can than cant do.This gives me a chance, with my anxiety, to push myself a little further, to realize there are safe places in the world, said Ralph, 52, of Halifax, Massachusetts.The veterans ranged in age from their 20s to 80s. The rehabilitation clinic is open to veterans with spinal cord injuries, amputations, vision loss, mental health problems and other disabilities.Miosek (pronounced MY-sak), 47, of Scotia, New York, lost both legs in 1990 when his head hit a power cable as he stood atop an armored vehicle in Germany, then fell 20 feet.Meeting other veterans at the clinic with similar injuries made him feel hes not alone.I feel a kinship toward them, since we are in that boat together, he said. While in service, we faced a lot of obstacles that we overcame. Now that Im a disabled veteran, and with other disabled veterans, there are things that we can overcome together, as well.In Coventry, Rhode Island, VA volunteers and water ski instructors set up different ways veterans could ski depending on their needs, from a sling-like seat in the center of a wide ski to a three-person tube.Navy veteran Raquel Rachel Ardin uses a wheelchair most of the time. Ardin, 62, of North Hartland, Vermont, was serving in Greece when she broke her neck falling out of a buunk in 1976.dddddddddddd She taught herself to walk again, but the scar tissue from her injury began causing problems several years ago.During her first run of the day, and her first time ever on water skis, Ardin whooped the whole way. The crowd of volunteers and fellow veterans on shore clapped and cheered.Afterward, Ardin told the volunteers, You made my day. You made my life!I want to cry, Im so happy, she told them. Thank you, guys!The sports clinic is modeled after the VAs national adaptive sports program, in which veterans nationwide compete in games. The VA Boston Healthcare System runs it, and the Providence VA Medical Center hosts it.Some of the more traditional activities that occur in VA hospitals, bingo, card playing, those sorts of things, while those are nice, we had a young generation that came out of the battlefield, said Richard Leeman, assistant chief of voluntary services in Boston. They wanted to do the things they did prior to their injury.Theres also a winter sports clinic for skiing and snowboarding at Mount Sunapee Resort in New Hampshire.This was the seventh year of the summer clinic and the third time the Providence medical center has hosted it. The VA worked with many local groups to organize the activities.They pushed themselves to a new limit that they now know they can do, said Susan MacKenzie, the medical centers director. They have confidence that they can set goals for themselves and move forward, not just in sports but in any part of their life.Miosek said he feels alive at the clinic.Im able to get the energy out and do the things that I cant do at home, he said. I use that energy all year long, to kind of let go and go for it.----Associated Press writer Michelle R. Smith in Coventry contributed to this report. ' ' '