Nov. 12, 2015
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State men’s basketball has partnered with Nike for a second straight year and will wear turquoise Nike N7 uniforms on Wednesday, Nov. 18, vs. San Diego Christian to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. The color turquoise represents harmony, friendship and fellowship in the Native American culture.
Nike N7 is a long-time commitment and mission to inspire and enable two million Native American and Aboriginal youth in North America to participate in sport and physical activity. Along with SDSU, seven other schools are participating in the initiative to highlight Native American Heritage Month. The uniforms also complement the Nike N7 Power of Perseverance Collection, recognizing the movement of sport on Native lands and driving awareness of Native American culture. The collection includes men and women’s basketball and running apparel and footwear, as well as the collaborative KD8 N7 with NBA star Kevin Durant.
With more Native American tribes in San Diego than anywhere in the country, SDSU and Nike N7 are teaming up to leverage basketball as a way of showing how Native youth can lead physically active lifestyles to be a positive force of change for future generations.
The San Diego State-Nike N7 partnership represents the University's commitment to the education, health and wellness of indigenous communities. Through SDSU's partnership with Intertribal Sports, the school has been able to introduce Native American youth to the rich opportunities for learning and career development that exist on university campuses.
The San Diego State campus itself resides on Kumeyaay land and is the home to Viejas Arena, an American Indian Studies department and multiple research initiatives. The Elymash Yuchaap Indigenous Scholars and Leaders program at SDSU, meanwhile, has created new opportunities for students to develop as leaders through the lens of their own identities.
Today's Native youth are faced with daunting obstacles that could hinder their success and well-being, including the fact that Native American communities are met with challenges that include diabetes and obesity that are a result of physical inactivity. Part of Nike N7's mission is to bring sport and all of its benefits to Native and Aboriginal communities in the U.S. and Canada, which is essential to combat obesity, provide health benefits and help young people develop discipline, focus and the will to succeed.
About N7
N7 is Nike’s long-time commitment and mission to inspire and enable two million Native American and Aboriginal youth in North America to participate in sport and physical activity. The N7 philosophy embraces the Native philosophy: “In every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”
The N7 Collection, which incorporates organic cotton and recycled polyester into several styles, highlights the N7 philosophy of considering the lasting impact our decisions have on the planet and embodies Nike’s commitment to sustainable innovation by creating product engineered for superior athletic performance and lower environmental impact.
After nearly a decade of partnership with tribes across North America to support programs aimed at physically active lifestyles, Nike deepened its connection to the Native American community in 2007 with the launch of N7 beginning with the Nike Air Native N7 shoe. The N7 collection followed in 2009, to celebrate Native American and Aboriginal culture and to raise awareness for the N7 Fund, which has raised more than $3 million for Native American and Aboriginal youth sport programs.