The Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. took over Super Bowl LVI when he stepped inside the SoFi field stadium in LA for the pregame warmups, thanks to his history-making $200,000 custom-designed Nike cleats.
OBJ collaborated with the legendary custom footwear designer The Shoe Surgeon, also known as Dominic Ciambrone, and the sought-after jeweler Jason Arasheben, dubbed Jason of Beverly Hills, to realize the luxurious design. According to Ciambrone, OBJ was very collaborative and would go back and forth with ideas.
Of course @obj brought out the most expensive cleats in the world for #SuperBowl ???????? (via @TheShoeSurgeon) pic.twitter.com/jz2uaoi0NQ
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) February 13, 2022
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The athlete knew what he didn’t like and what he liked (swaggy and flashy), and the end product strongly showcased their stylistic synergy.
The custom cleats came in the classic Rams colors, royal blue, and yellow python, featuring 1,494 individual pieces of brilliant white diamonds. These were not just ordinary diamonds; they were all of flawless D color clarity and were 25 carats in total carat weight. Arasheben also incorporated 150 grams of 14-carat yellow gold.
The Making
Odell Beckham’s cleats for the big game. #SuperBowl #RamsHouse #OBJ pic.twitter.com/ucxtH5jIEQ
— OffTheDiamond (@OffTheDiamond_) February 13, 2022
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Speaking with PEOPLE, Ciambrone shared that the whole project, which took more than a hundred man-hours (for the diamond hardware alone) to craft and complete, wasn’t about making the most expensive cleats. “Odell’s not only a top player, but he’s a big personality and he likes fashion and he likes to stand out and that’s what I like. So it just kind of all came together,” he said.
The two had already talked about it for a long time, and it was just a matter of timing. When the Rams won, it felt like the perfect time to do it. So, he immediately texted OBJ to ask if he was ready for the golden diamond. He responded, “Yep, you, me, and Jason of Beverly Hills.”
Arasheben, who previously crafted the Buccaneer’s Super Bowl ring, was just as excited to work with them. The Beverly Hills jeweler said that The Rams were the second team to play the Super Bowl at their home stadium after the Buccaneers, so working on the piece with OBJ felt befitting.
OBJ wearing $200k cleats for the @SuperBowl
— Schmit Mitchell (@m1735h297) February 14, 2022
You’d never see Messi/Ronaldo do this in finals. You wouldn’t even see Pogba do this pic.twitter.com/OKZISNZyuN
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Making OBJ’s cleats was definitely a meticulous process. Ciambrone, who had been customizing cleats for top athletes for six years at the time, shared that the main consideration while crafting was maintaining the cleats’ integrity. After all, it’s a performance shoe at the end of the day. Moreover, his end goal has always been: Whoever wears his shoe wins the game.
“I want my art to be on a winning shoe,” he explains.
OBJ also had another pair made by The Shoe Surgeon: an Off-White Dunk Low-inspired cleats. It had a double-lace fastening system in the signature blue and yellow Rams colorway. It was executed with soft white and blue leather. Aside from Beckham Jr., Ciambrone was also tapped by three other Rams stars: Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp, and Von Miller.
The Rams ended up winning the Super Bowl LVI, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20.
Check out Odell Beckham Jr.’s legendary cleats below.