Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty finds hardwood inspiration on Bristol Studio cleats collaboration
The Burbank-born righthander and Los Angeles-led lifestyle basketball brand connect through footwear for MLB Players’ Weekend

Detroit Tigers pitcher, 2024 World Series champion, and nine-season Major League Baseball veteran Jack Flaherty is quiet when it comes to what he says or wears.
That all changes when basketball is brought up.
“Baseball’s always the first love, but basketball came right behind it,” Flaherty told Andscape.
For the 2025 MLB Players’ Weekend, an annual event that allows athletes to sport atypical attire, the typically reserved Flaherty made the most of the league’s lifted dress-code restrictions by wearing a pair of bespoke custom Nike Force Zoom Trout 9 Pro Metal cleats designed in collaboration with Los Angeles-based basketball lifestyle brand Bristol Studio.

Bristol Studio

Bristol Studio
It’s safe to say basketball-centric spikes inspired Flaherty (7-12, 4.51 ERA) as he laced them up while hosting the Houston Astros on Monday. The Tigers’ starting pitcher secured a big win against the AL West-leading visitors, tossing seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in the 10-0 win.
The stats were those of a flamethrower finding his rhythm, but the energy was aligned with the basketball upbringing displayed on his shoes and epitomized by his Los Angeles-raised collaborators.
“We’re crafting a universal language for hoop lovers, recognizable in any setting,” Bristol Studio co-founder and CEO MAASAI Ephriam told Andscape.
Those keen on the intersection between basketball and streetwear are familiar with Bristol Studio, which was founded in 2015. In the past decade, the California company has made waves by collaborating with Adidas on off-court footwear while working with the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Uninterrupted on retail releases and tunnel looks.
By blending lifestyle fashion with insider nods to basketball culture, such as stacked socks, inside-out sweats, and layered shorts, Bristol Studio has entered the dialogue where menswear sophistication and AAU memories intersect.
By working with a fellow Angeleno athlete in Flaherty, they’re able to bring that same language and love of all things basketball to an adjacent arena.
“This project was the perfect opportunity to bring our basketball lens to the baseball diamond,” Ephriam said.
An opportunity that Flaherty was instantly all about.
“To be able to work with them and collaborate, you jump at those opportunities. You don’t have to think twice,” said Flaherty, who won a World Series title last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. “Players’ Weekend gives the ability to do it.”
Like Flaherty, Bristol Studio co-founders Ephriam and Jake Fenster were raised in Los Angeles, taking in Kobe Bryant game-winners for the Lakers while playing a plethora of sports as kids.
Although the pitcher and apparel producers have each found professional success away from the basketball court, the spirit of the game reveals itself in all they do.
“We felt it was important to tell a basketball story using the game’s traditional fabrics, in a space where you might not expect to see it,” Fenster told Andscape.

Bristol Studio

Bristol Studio
While reserved, the mismatched pair of Nike Force Zoom Trout 9 Pro Metal cleats presented in Tiger tones of orange and blue is far louder than the toned-down spikes Flaherty typically wears, weaving in an intricate story of how the right-handed pitcher cut his teeth and found family through travel team basketball in his youth.
As an adopted child raised by his mother, Eileen Flaherty, in the greater Los Angeles area, Flaherty began playing competitive basketball at the age of 7, often practicing outside of Burbank High School from dusk to dawn.
Growing up in parks, playgrounds, and gyms gave him a sense of community. Eventually, it gave him a voice.
“Some of my friends I played basketball with, they could talk with the best of them,” Flaherty said, smiling. “You couldn’t get too affected by what they’d say.”
That voice is integral in Flaherty’s longevity on the mound, already outlasting career-length norms for the average MLB pitcher.
Just the same, it’s the voice that connected Flaherty with Bristol Studio — one that speaks to athletes, artists, and everyday people in a way few cultures can match.
“Basketball was the language we spoke—even when we were playing something else,” Fenster said. “It’s not a sport that stays confined to the court; it follows you everywhere. That’s why we were excited to bring hoops to the mound.”
Bringing that basketball energy to the mound is key for Flaherty, who was drafted 34th by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014.
To this day, the stoic pitcher channels the confidence he learned from basketball when staring down a batter and bringing basketball’s beloved trash-talking banter.
“We all chirp,” Flaherty said. “Being a pitcher, you get face-to-face, but you’re still 60 feet away. Basketball gives you that one-on-one mentality.”

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
On Monday, Flaherty took the mound against the Houston Astros in Bristol Studio’s hoop-inspired cleats and matching belt, opting for the Tigers’ navy blue rendition. Overt references to basketball appear in the form of net-like laces and headband-inspired trim, while pebble print detailing gives life to the ball itself.
While the shoe itself will be a one-time wear, its footprints will extend beyond a single start.
A major part of MLB Players’ Weekend is not just eye-catching apparel, but also using it as a means of fundraising. Flaherty’s mother, Eileen, has been an advocate of giving back in various ways, ranging from generous donations for Camp RennerVation in Nevada to collaborating with the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition in St. Louis. Eileen is intent on raising youth literacy in each city her son calls home.
Detroit is no different, with these special-edition cleats catching eyes and drawing attention to the quiet quest they’ve been on to connect kids with books. Both pairs of custom cleats, made by Bristol Studio, will be auctioned for charity, a generous feat in line with Eileen’s consistent philanthropy.
“She’s been the workhorse behind it all,” Flaherty said. “We try to find ways to do things for the city I’m in. We don’t publicize it too much, it’s under the radar. But to be able to go there and hear the feedback that it’s appreciated and things are good, it hits close to home.”

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
As the Tigers look to make a postseason push, Flaherty will return to his simpler-styled cleats but still have basketball on his mind, he said.
Throughout the year, the pitcher consults with NBA players and trainers for insights related to mindset, drafting inspiration from the game’s icons. Flaherty includes Allen Iverson and Russell Westbrook among his heroes, drawing upon each player’s passion and toughness that transcend sports.
Still, like any Los Angeles child of the 2000s, it’s Kobe Bryant who hits closest to home for Flaherty when working toward reaching his goals.
“The effort, the time, the resiliency, everybody tried to emulate that,” Flaherty said.
Quiet as kept, it’s the love of two sports that keeps Flaherty cool under pressure on any MLB mound.