NOBIS TAPS NBA STAR SERGE IBAKA AS GLOBAL AMBASSADOR

Nobis has announced a new partnership with NBA champion Serge Ibaka, the Toronto Raptors center. Ibaka will be the Canadian outerwear brand’s global ambassador and will be featured in upcoming campaigns over the next year.

Off the court, the basketball star has become an international fashion and lifestyle icon – he is often snapped in bold looks inspired by style in his native Brazzaville as well as European fashion hubs. His thoughtful and globally inspired style, as seen at Paris Fashion Week last summer, made him the perfect fit for Nobis.

The latest editorial campaign images with Ibaka, shot by director and photographer Justin Wu, feature Nobis’ Kane Utility Parka and Martin Parka and are among the first in a series of collaborations to be rolled out until early 2021.

Born in the Republic of the Congo to parents who were both basketball players, Ibaka developed a love for basketball from an early age and turned to it as an outlet during the Congo’s civil war. He played at home during his youth and then in Barcelona, Spain, where he was first drafted by the NBA to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and later the Orlando Magic.

He was eventually traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2017, with who he later signed a three-year contract and won the NBA Championship in 2019. Outside of basketball, Ibaka is committed to helping those in need through the Serge Ibaka Foundation, whose projects focus on health and education for orphans in Congo (working with UNICEF to renovate orphanages, providing healthcare supplies and medical devices such as hearing aids). When he’s not on the court or working for those in need, he enjoys playing Congolese music with friends and developing his personal style.