It's safe to say that Nike probably didn't have any ill intentions when it nicknamed its most recent KD 8 colorway "P.G. County" as a tribute to Durant's hometown, but that hasn't stopped the county's residents from making a fuss.
According to NBC Washington, some locals in Prince George's County, Md. find the "P.G. County" nickname to be disrespectful. Apparently, residents have been trying to stop the use of the abbreviation for years, hoping to replace it with the county's full name.
Their stance stems from the fact that none of the area's surrounding counties are known by abbreviated names, and it seems that they believe this latest KD 8 nickname will only complicate the matter.
"We would certainly prefer that it was 'Prince George’s County,'" county exec Barry Hudson said. "[I] actually sent a letter to Nike kind of giving them some idea of the nature of the term 'Prince George’s County' versus 'PG County' just to let them know that it is, to many in the county, a pejorative."
Meanwhile, Melvin McCray, one of Durant's former coaches at Seat Pleasant, says residents should worry less about the nickname and more about what the sneaker means for the county. "I just think we all should just enjoy the moment and just embrace it," McCray said.
We're inclined to agree — at the end of the day, it's just an abbreviation, and it's pretty clear that Nike didn't mean any harm here.
The sneakers themselves released today and are available from Nikestore for $180.
