Kevin Durant wearing the “Redskins” Nike Zoom KD III.
words // Nick Engvall
The NBA lockout has put a giant question mark on the 2011-2012 basketball season. Although nobody feels it more than the fans, it seems the two sides are still at a huge disconnect, and forget why they play the game. There have been a few players making the highlight reels compiled by local camera phone wielding fans, and of course rumors of players moving overseas to play in various international leagues.
With the lockout keeping players at a distance from their NBA teams and regular schedule of offseason workouts, players like Kevin Durant, Brandon Jennings and Michael Beasley have been showing randomly at gyms and courts to keep their game in shape. Recently Durant made an appearance at Rucker Park in New York City, and dropped in an impressive 66 points, to the delight of fans that packed sidelines and bleachers. Durant and Michael Beasley showed up a few days later at Dyckman Park on opposing teams, and put on quite the show for the fans.
Although there probably isn’t a fan in the world that would wish for the 2011-2012 season to be cancelled, similar to the natural excitement from Gilbert Arenas’ sneaker variety last season, seeing these superstars show up at a packed court without the paycheck from the league, makes it that much more special to watch.
Coming off of his rookie season as the first high school guard to be drafted straight into the NBA, Kobe Bryant already had an All-NBA Rookie Team award on his resume and a Slam Dunk Contest title. The second year of Kobe’s career was a coming out of sorts. He landed his first appearance in the NBA All-Star game in 1998, which was filled with high-flying alley-oops and finished with Kobe putting up 18 points in the box score, second only to the game’s MVP, Michael Jordan, who had 23 points.
The game was not only a stepping stone for Kobe’s superstardom but it also helped launch a long and successful line of special edition Kobe shoes. adidas setup Bryant with a special makeup colorway of one of his first signature shoes, the Crazy 8. The adidas Crazy 8 has since become one of the most popular basketball shoes for adidas over the last decade or so, returning in retro form on occasion, most recently with a handful of colorways, including one worn by Derrick Rose. However, the colorway from the 1998 All-Star Game, a Black version detailed with Lakers Purple and Gold accents, has remained locked away in adidas’ history. This fall the All-Star colorway will release amidst a handful of unique color combos from adidas Basketball.
Today marks the launch of the brand new campaign from adidas Originals, “all Originals.” In a 60-second spot released by the brand this morning, adidas Originals explores the unique characteristics of several personalities from sports, music, art, entertainment and fashion, with emphasis placed on the fact that our originality is what unites us all. Cameos in the clip include Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, CJ Spiller, Jeremy Scott, Big Sean and Snoop Dogg to name a few.
Check out “all Originals” below and stop by Eastbay to pick up your own adidas Originals Shoes today.
There are roughly 40 miles that separate Akron and Cleveland – a straight shot on I-77. And what a different those 40 miles make. Even a year removed from The Decision, there’s still bitterness when it comes to LeBron James in the streets and gyms of Cleveland. But tonight in Akron, it was all love.
In front of a packed gym, James, along with high school teammates, Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee and Romeo Travis were inducted into St. Vincent-St. Mary Athletic Hall of Fame. Their team, chronicled in 2009’s More Than a Game documentary, took home three state titles, and a national championship in 2003. If you haven’t seen the film, and didn’t already know, their bond was apparent tonight, as the five often laughed and interacted throughout the evening. LeBron’s speech perfectly summed up their relationships with each other, as well as his relationship with his school:
“I’ve always said this was the best time of my life – high school. When you are in high school, you take these days for granted. When you’re a freshman, you look at your freshman year and say, ‘Aww man, I’ve got three more years, so we good.’ Then you get to you sophomore year, and you’re like, ‘OK, we’ve got two more years, we good.’ You do the same thing through your junior year. Then, when you’re a senior, and the last high school game you’ll ever have is for the National Championship, and it was the last game we’d play together, I think then we finally realized at that point that we had took our high school days for granted. We can’t ever get those days back. They were special days for all of us. We will always see one and other, no matter where life may take us, and no matter where life may carry us. It don’t take a ceremony to get us together. We’re together all the time. Sian was over my house yesterday. Dru and Rome were out in San Diego last week. … We’re always together. It doesn’t take a ceremony or for you all to put us in the Hall of Fame to get us together. We definitely appreciate this. St. Vincent-St. Mary is the greatest school that we have in Ohio, and probably the best school that we have in America. No matter where I travel, no matter where I go, I will always represent this school. “
While LeBron may be the reason we are so familiar with this high school squad, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony may be best remembered for what happened when one of his teammates took the mic following their speeches. Dru Joyce III, who now plays professionally in Germany, then left the stage, took a knee, and proposed to girlfriend Lanae Patton. She said “Yes.”
Tonight’s event capped off an exciting few days in the Akron area for LeBron. Monday he launched his new Wheels for Education program, which takes the place of his long running King for Kids Bikeathon. And earlier today, he dedicated the new $240,000 clubhouse his foundation helped fund at a local Boys and Girls Club. LeBron may no longer play his home games 40 miles away, but there’s no doubt he still considers Akron home.
Many of the popular Nike LeBron 8 colorways this year have been jaw-droppingly bright in color. Reality is though, not everyone wants to be wearing something that bright, and for many, jobs often make the only option an all black shoe. The latest of the LeBron shoes is exactly that, and now ready to be shipped to your door.
Like the previous colorways, the Nike LeBron 8 features a breathable mesh upper with superior lockdown thanks to Flywire technology and its external TPU chassis. Of course, the lightweight phylon midsole and full-length 360 degree Air cushioning is up for the challenge of playing under one of the games best players, but also makes for a comfortable casual shoe. The strategically placed reinforced rubber on the outsole helps to make the Nike LeBron 8 durable as well.
Even now, a full nine years removed from attending Akron, Ohio’s St. Vincent-St. Mary, LeBron continues to rep his school’s green and gold colors, which have since become common knowledge in the hoops community. The school was even immortalized on film, when 2009′s “More Than a Game” showcased LeBron’s team’s journey to a national championship.
Knowing how much LeBron has done for his alma mater, it should come as no surprise that they are doing something for him. This Tuesday, along with his high school (and sometimes summer city league) teammate Romeo Travis’ #24 jersey, LeBron will see his #23 retired at the school.
In celebration of the occasion, we take a look back at some of the best LeBron shoes worn as he created a legacy worthy of such an honor. Throughout his storied high school career, of course, exclusive kicks just seemed to have a habit of finding their way to LeBron’s feet.
10. adidas Pro Model
Death. Taxes. And the adidas Pro Model. Some things are just going to happen. Death and taxes might not be much fun, but this PE version of the Pro Model is one of the more exciting versions of the long-running tried and true line.
9. Nike Air Max Finisher
I know, I know. You probably thought the “Top Ten Most Forgettable Shoes With ‘Max Air’ In Their Name” might be the only Top 10 list you’d ever see the Air Max Finisher end up on … if you happen to remember it existed … if you even knew it existed in the first place. Luckily though, this pair of PE’s found its way to LeBron’s feet, saving the model from obscurity.
8. Nike Shox VC II
Heading into his ninth model, LeBron James has already had a longer running signature line at Nike than almost anyone not named Michael Jordan. Vince Carter, for example, had a much shorter-lived line, topping out at four. In VC’s defense (and similar to his defense), he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. With Shox as a company-wide initiative, it was inevitable that his line would feature the technology that was quickly discarded by many ballers.
7. adidas TMac 2 (White/ Gold)Home-based colorways rarely are as cool as their away counterparts, and this is no exception. But it’s still a great example of the type of exclusive kicks that managed to find their way to LeBron while at SVSM.
6. “USA” adidas The Kobe Two
It’d be easy to write the “Flag” Kobe Two off as one of the ugliest products of any kind … ever … but as sneaker fans, we often just can’t get around the mystique of exclusivity. Rumored to be less than 30 pairs in existence, this shoe serves as an example of just how important LeBron was to the sneaker companies fighting for his attention.
5. Reebok Question
Long before John Wall wore a PE of the poor-performing Question (during his break from the poor-performing Zig Slash), LeBron had his own version, and was actually the first player not named Allen Iverson to receive a custom colorway of The Answer’s iconic first shoe.
4. Nike Zoom Flight 2K3
The Zoom Flight 2K3 may have been a great playing shoe, but it’s been largely ignored – quickly being overshadowed by the unrelated and similarly named, Huarache 2K4. This LeBron PE version of the 2K3 has probably had the most impact in keeping the model’s memory alive, thanks to its bold and gold patent base.
3. Nike Ultraflight
While a LeBron James Hyperflight PE sure would have looked cool, luckily for Nike, it came out almost two years prior to the Ultraflight – and LeBron was spared wearing that performance disaster. But the Ultraflight looked awful cool too – especially in this LeBron PE colorway – which earns it a high spot on the list.
2. adidas TMac 2 (Green/ Gold)
Long before Tracy McGrady spent a season in Detroit, a few months in New York, and even an injury-plagued four years in Houston, he had a successful signature sneaker line with adidas. LeBron has often cited T-Mac (along with Penny Hardaway) as one of his favorite players, so a green and gold colorway of the line’s most popular shoe was an easy choice for our list.
1. Air Jordan IX
When you are playing the last game of your high school career, with a national title on the line, you might as well pull out a decent pair of kicks. LeBron went with a pair of Air Jordan PEs – a hard choice to argue.
Should the NBA and the Player’s Association get things together and there is an NBA season this year, one of last season’s top rookies will have his first signature basketball shoe. John Wall was the face for Reebok Basketball last season. The Washington Wizards guard averaged over 16 points and 8 rebounds per game last year on his way to NBA All-Rookie First Team honors, wearing the Reebok Zig Slash and Reebok Question PE throughout our Sneaker Watch coverage.
For the upcoming season (crossing our fingers), Reebok has created John Wall’s first signature shoe, the Reebok Zig Encore. John’s signature resides on the inner ankle, and a newly designed ‘JW’ logo rests on the tongue. Style cues are carried over from the Zig Slash PE that Wall wore last year, but improvements have been made as well. A lower profile Zig Nano cushioning and increased contact area on the outsole should help Wall take on the rest of the league during his second season.
Look for detailed photos of additional Zig Encore colorways coming soon.
Few of the colorways of the latest LeBron shoe have been talked about and anticpated more than the brightly colored Solar Red version of the low top Nike LeBron 8. Although we’ll probably never see this colorway on the courts anytime soon, the full length Air Max cushioning makes it a perfect option to close out the summer with.
LeBron James’ lion crest logo on the tongue and a Flywire and mesh upper that is wrapped entirely in Solar Red coloring make this version of the LeBron 8 one of the most head-turning colorways. Breaking up the tonal upper is a black Nike Swoosh and a white midsole. Alongside colorways like the South Beach and Sprite versions, how does this Solar Red stack up in your collection?
This weekend two-sport star and cultural icon, Deion Sanders, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. So, naturally, this week’s Eastbay Memory Lane is dedicated to “Neon Deion.” As one of the greatest showmen to ever play the game of football, and one of the only players to find success in both professional baseball and professional football, “Prime Time” redefined showboating. Had the term ‘swag’ been a part of pop culture back then, Deion’s smiling face would have sat appropriately and happily, next to it in the dictionary.
For many people, Deion was too flashy and too arrogant for fans of the opposing team, but his performance was too good to not be respected and amazed, whether you fell on either side of the love versus hate coin. Neon Deion’s off the field antics were as loud and boisterous as his prancing around defenders on the football field. For the most part, he was always right track, well, except for that music career thing.
Deion’s dual-sport footwear left the same type of mark on sneaker culture as he did on the game of football. With iconic shoes like the Diamond Turf line from Nike, his training shoes rival the signature models of any other athlete. Then there were shoes like the Air 24 Diamond baseball cleats and the Air 21 Turf football shoes that carried Sanders’ goalpost and home plate logo and jersey number. With as many memorable kicks as Deion, and as many unbelievable plays, it leaves just one question.
Would Deion’s sneakers or his on-field performance be more Hall of Fame worthy?
One of the most popular New Balance shoes is the 574. The former performance running shoe has become a staple in the world of casual comfort over the years thanks to its simple comfort and appealing price point. Just in time to head back to school, a trio of new suede colorways is now available.
The combination of suede and mesh is always a popular style but with the New Balance 574, details like the 3M reflective accents on the side panel and heel, make it even more appealing. The new colorways include a Black/Silver/Red makeup, a version in Blue and Silver, and a third in a unique makeup featuring a blue mesh toebox and matching metallic New Balance ‘N’ logo.
Kevin Durant wearing the “Redskins” Nike Zoom KD III.
Michael Beasley in the adidas Superbeast and Kevin Durant in the Nike Zoom KD III.
Brandon Jennings shoots a jumper in the Under Armour Micro G Black Ice.
Fans at Dyckman Park were a bit excited.
A close up of Durant’s Zoom KD III, with the Nike Toki to the left and the Uptempo 97 on the right.
Durant cuts through the lane past beasley and a defender wearing the Nike Zoom Soldier IV on the left.
A close up shot of one of the players wearing the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011.
Another one of the players wearing the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011.
Beasley, always the modest one after a victory.
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7. adidas TMac 2 (White/ Gold)Home-based colorways rarely are as cool as their away counterparts, and this is no exception. But it’s still a great example of the type of exclusive kicks that managed to find their way to LeBron while at SVSM.
