Inside Josh Hart's Group Chat, Sneaker Rotation, and Heineken Bar

Heineken brought the group chat to life at a one-night-only bar in New York City themed after the memes and more that have proliferated the Cold Water group chat for years.

Heineken is launching a nationwide contest in which a lucky U.S.-based group chat will win its very own Heineken Group Chat Experience. Fans can learn more on the company website.

Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI spoke with Hart about his Heineken partnership, "Cold Water" group chat, and his impeccable Nike sneaker rotation.

Bringing a group chat to real life is a really cool concept. How excited were you when Heineken reached out to you with the idea?

I was super excited. I'm someone who has a core, like a small circle of really close friends that I can rely on and kind of be vulnerable with, in this group chat. So, the concept of bringing that to life and bringing everyone together was super dope.

We're all older, we're working, and a couple of us have kids. So it's tough to all be physically present in the same place at one time. When Heineken came up with this idea, it was a no-brainer, and we really jumped at the opportunity.

What did the "Cold Water" group chat members think when you told them?

They were excited about it. I think all of us were a little curious about how Heineken was going to do it, but they did a great job. Everybody was excited about it.

What is the dynamic like in the "Cold Water" group chat?

Bro, it's 100% comedic. When I'm off the court, I try to be very loose and very unserious. That's how the group chat is. You have five of us who are extremely close, all have a good sense of humor, so we're just consistently roasting each other, and consistently sending funny memes.

We want it to be something that's funny and an escape from daily life. It's a way for us to kind of escape and get to confide in a core group of people. And when you're able to take that a step further and hang out together, it's great.

As a professional athlete and public figure, how important do you think it is to step back from social media sometimes?

Oh, it's vital. If you're too consumed with social media, too consumed with people's opinions of you and those kinds of things, you'll never find happiness. You're always going to be searching for something, searching for approval.

But when you're able to take a step back and see your core group, it is like a breath of fresh air, because you're able to let down your guard and just be a regular person and have fun and connect with friends that you've known for such a long time.

How has Heineken been as a partner so far?

Oh, man, they've been super dope. They killed it with this bar. They did an amazing job decorating the bar with murals and breadcrumbs of stories, and there was an ice sculpture and a pool table with people's faces on it. There was a country music group from Brooklyn that made a couple of songs about the group chat.

Switching gears to footwear, what shoes are you wearing off the court this fall?

I'm a Nike guy. You'll always find me in a fresh pair of all white Air Force 1s. Those are my go-to shoes off court.

There are a lot of Nike Kobe guys on the Knicks roster right now. How does your rotation stack up against your teammates?

Yeah, man, mine's up there. Obviously, JB (Jalen Brunson), his collections are not great, but now that he has his player-exclusives, that kind of takes the cake. So, he's number one. JC (Jordan Clarkson) is up there. He has a lot of good Kobes, but I think I'm number two.

I have my PEs of GT cuts coming out this year. I'll be sprinkling those in and going back and forth with the Kobes. But I love my Kobes.

What factors into the models/colorways you choose for each game?

Yeah, it's always a combination of what we're wearing, like our jersey, our tights, and arm sleeves. But more just the mood and the vibe of how I'm playing.

I always had a pair of Nike Kobe 6 in a colorway I call the 'Cookies and Cream.' They did the All-Star version of them this past year, but before that, they were just all white with a black check. I call them 'Cookies and Cream.' Those were like my old reliable, as well.

So if I didn't know what I would wear, I was going with those. If I had a bad game and I needed to get back on track, I would wear those. So, it's always kind of a vibe of, like, 'Okay, what am I wearing today? How do I feel today?' Sometimes I get some bright, loud ones that are in the rotation, where it's like, 'I'm feeling good today. Let's throw these on!'"

Last question: If you were playing in a Space Jam game to defend Earth, what shoes would you wear?

Oh, that's tough. Look, I'm a Kobe guy, so I gotta go Kobe. Hmm, that's tough, it's a Space Jam game, so it's going to make a statement. Out of the current stuff that just came out, I'm going to go with the 'Mamba League' Kobe 5s.

I wore them for Media Day. They're like a salmon color with the lime green snake. Those would be perfect because they would pop, and they would go crazy with the jerseys.

All-time, maybe something throwback like the Huarache 2K4s. I have to get some colorways of the Huarache 2K4s, maybe something that Nike could trick out and make dope.

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