Artist Makes Custom Autism Awareness Themed Shoes For Joe Ingles

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – An artist who designed customized “Autism Awareness” themed sneakers for Utah Jazz guard Joe Ingles debuted the shoes on Instagram. Andrew Lewis, a shoe customizer, designed the shoes for Ingles to wear during Autism Awareness Month in April.

The Kobe AD Nike sneakers feature the puzzle design representing people living on the autistic spectrum, behind portraits of Ingles son Jacob who was diagnosed with autism in 2019.

“Put together a fun pair of Kobe ADs for my guy @joeingles7 to pay honor to his son Jacob,” Lewis wrote. “These were originally created to be worn back in April for Autism Awareness month but Covid had other ideas.”

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Put together a fun pair of Kobe ADs for my guy @joeingles7 to pay honor to his son Jacob. These were originally created to be worn back in April for Autism Awareness month but Covid had other ideas. None the less I figured they were worth a share. The uppers of this pair feature portraits of Jacob at varying age ranges as well as the colorful puzzle pattern that has become the most recognizable symbol of the autism community.

A post shared by Andrew Lewis (@andr3wtl) on Aug 10, 2020 at 6:31pm PDT

“The uppers of this pair feature portraits of Jacob at varying age ranges as well as the colorful puzzle pattern that has become the most recognizable symbol of the autism community.”

The NBA season was suspended on March 11 after Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. Ingles shared the shoes on his Instagram story Monday.

In 2019, shoe artist Kickstradomis created custom autism awareness themed shoes for Ingles, and teammates Ricky Rubio, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Ekpe Udoh.

Lewis’ Other Jazz Shoe Collaborations

Ingles isn’t the only Jazz player Lewis has collaborated with. The artist created similarly themed autism awareness shoes for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. The shoes featured the puzzle pattern on Mitchell’s Adidas Don Issue #1 and were planned for use in April.

“Created these “Autism Awareness” DON Issue 1’s for my guy @spidadmitchell to rock in support of @joeingles7 and his son and their foundation,” Lewis captioned the photo. “This pair along with numerous others I had the pleasure of creating will be auctioned off when the NBA resumes and the players are able to play in them.”

View this post on Instagram

Created these “Autism Awareness” DON Issue 1’s for my guy @spidadmitchell to rock in support of @joeingles7 and his son and their foundation. This pair along with numerous others I had the pleasure of creating will be auctioned off when the NBA resumes and the players are able to play in them.

A post shared by Andrew Lewis (@andr3wtl) on May 1, 2020 at 11:26am PDT

Lewis also designed Mitchell’s custom Don Issue #2 issue shoes that he debuted in the NBA bubble in Orlando. Mitchell’s shoes were emboldened with the phrases “Ready For Change” and “Say Their Names” to honor those who have lost their lives at the hands of police.

The Jazz will play their final seeding game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday in Orlando. The NBA playoffs begin Monday.