As Mookie Betts took the diamond for MLB's Opening Day, he joined the cast of characters who would take to their cleats and make a fashion statement. He did so by transforming one of the more sought-after recent releases by Nike, taking the collab sneaker from BMX biker Nigel Sylvester and Nike, the Air Jordan 4 "Brick By Brick" sneaker, and introducing it to the cleat format.
The original sneaker was released on March 14th, 2025, and retailed for $225. Sylvester, who has long been an Air Jordan collector, took to the vintage sneaker design and created a shoe that gives off the aged look but in a way that the public has not seen since the Nike Air Yeezy II. Bringing a firewood orange tint to the sneaker and making it an easy-to-wear sneaker is not easy to do, yet he made it happen. Finished with the "BIKE" on the back of the shoe rather than the known "NIKE" spellout, the collaboration is a sneaker that just fits. With 563 Sold in the last 3 Days via Stock X, the endorsement from Betts on the field might have helped the resale market of the original sneaker.
Mookie went 1-for-3, adding a single and a walk to his resume for the game, and the known highlight for sneakerheads watching the Opening Day game was the collaboration pair on feet in a cleat variant. Almost a complete 1-1 replica of the original shoe, it was a great sight to see.
Of course, the cleat will remain a player-exclusive for Betts. One might wonder if the buzz online will allow Nike to consider official collaborations within the world of cleats for other athletes and see what else they can cook up in that department.