Eric Kilburn, the teenager with giant feet and hands
Discover the story of Eric Kilburn, a 14-year-old teenager with enormous feet. He recently went viral in the United States because of his extraordinary shoe size, which makes it almost impossible for him to find shoes that fit. Fortunately, brands like Puma, Under Armour, Reebok and even Shaq stepped in to help.
What shoe size does Eric Kilburn wear?
Eric wears a US size 23, which corresponds to roughly UK size 22 and a foot length of about 34.3 cm. By comparison, the average shoe size in North America is US 10.5 (about UK 9.5, or 29.7 cm). His shoe size is even one US size larger than that of Shaquille O’Neal or Victor Wembanyama.
Who is Eric Kilburn?
Eric is a 14-year-old teenager from Michigan who stands 6’8 tall. He plays American football at Goodrich High School. Until recently he wore US size 22 shoes (UK 21). He managed to obtain several pairs thanks to a family friend who found five pairs in a clearance sale. Beyond that size, however, there were basically no mass-produced shoes available.
Why did Eric go viral?
Eric’s mother started the online buzz. As her son continued to grow, his shoe size reached US 23 (about UK 22), making it impossible to find suitable shoes. She therefore posted a call for help on social media and launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for custom-made shoes, which could cost around €3,000 per pair. The story was picked up by Hometown Life and later USA Today, which aired a television report. From that point on, the story went viral.
Eric simply said:
“I just want shoes.”
He added that once his current pair wears out, he will have nothing left to wear; no sandals, Crocs, or anything else.
His father explained that the family had previously stretched size-22 shoes to make them fit, which often caused pain and bleeding toes. Fortunately, that difficult period is now over.
How brands helped Eric
After the story had spread, several companies stepped in to help the young giant. Reebok sent five pairs of size-22 shoes originally made for Shaquille O’Neal. Although Eric needed size 23, these shoes offered more toe room than the Nike pair he had been wearing before and were much more comfortable.
The Puma director also offered to provide him with properly sized footwear at a normal price, noting that $1,500 for a pair of shoes is absurd. Puma planned to scan Eric’s feet, a process that usually takes about two months to develop a suitable model. Under Armour sent its development director, Robb Cropp, to personally scan Eric’s feet so the company could produce custom footwear. According to him, Eric has the largest feet the company has ever made shoes for.
Other companies also offered help, like CAT, the construction equipment brand, which asked Eric to design a pair of boots, or the Italian company Mauri Shoes, as they offered to create a mould of his feet for formal shoes so he could attend school events.
A phone call from Shaq
Shaquille O’Neal, known for his generosity, felt sympathy for the teenager and decided to call him.
“I was stunned. My soul left my body for a moment.” Eric said.
During the call, O’Neal explained that he had faced the same difficulty when he was young, as his mother also struggled to find shoes for him.
Eric, who once sprained his ankle while playing American football without proper cleats, asked Shaq if he had played football in high school. Shaq said yes, an injury had led him to basketball, launching his career to fame and fortune.
“He told me he made 990 million dollars by listening her mother”
Eric’s mother said she had never seen her son smile so widely. Shaq even offered to help him obtain dress shoes from a shoemaker who produces sizes up to 26.
October 2024: Eric Kilburn has the largest hands of any teenager in the world
Eric’s hands were recently measured and confirmed to be the largest in the world for a teenager, measuring 0’76 inch .For comparison, the average hand length: 0’64 inch, the largest adult hands belong to Sultan Kösen at 0’91 inch and the largest hands in history belonged to Robert Wadlow at 1’06 inches
Videos of Eric Kilburn :