Kevin Garnett, the Boston Celtics and adidas announced today the launch of a rare version of Garnett’s 2008-09 adidas Team Signature Commander shoe. This footwear release was designed to commemorate the Celtics’ historic run at an NBA Championship. adidas will produce only eight pairs per game of this exciting shoe to be sold at retail (as few as 32 pairs or as many as 56 will be available depending on the number of games The Finals goes to). One special pair of shoes autographed by KG will be auctioned off on NBA.com after The Finals. All profits from the sale of these shoes will go to NBA Cares community partners in the Boston area.

The adidas Team Signature KG Commander is scheduled to launch in October 2008, but for this year’s NBA Finals, Kevin Garnett will wear a special version that will be highlighted by the inclusion of the coveted Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy on the medial side, and an embroidered callout to games 1 thru 7 on the lateral side. The number of that night’s game will be in green while the others remain white. The numbers 1 thru 7 also get larger as each game grows in significance.

“All season long it has been about we and not me, so as we head into the NBA Finals I wanted to do something special for the Boston community. That is why we came up with this limited edition shoe,” stated Garnett. “Since day one, the fans of Boston have made me feel like family, so to do this and be able to give back to them is a great honor.”

Another key attribute that has adorned KG’s shoes throughout the years are his tributes to two of his good friends and mentors: Malik Sealy (former Timberwolves teammate) and Kirby Puckett (former Minnesota Twins Superstar Centerfielder). Malik’s tribute is located under the strap and says “2 Malik”, while Kirby’s call out, “KP 34” is located on the back of the shoe, just below the adidas logo.

The limited edition adidas Team Signature Commander will only be available at Celtics.com, the TD Banknorth Garden Pro Shop and NBA Store in New York City. Each pair of adidas Team Signature KG Commanders will retail for $1017 (to commemorate the drive for championship #17).