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Archive for October, 2014
Under Armour ClutchFit Drive Stephen Curry PEs
Oct 31st
Fans of the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry won’t have to wait long into the NBA season to see their team’s colorways adapted to the staple of Under Armour’s basketball collection – the ClutchFit Drive. Releasing in both Warriors home and away colorways, specifically designed for Under Armour’s marquee athlete, Stephen Curry should be lacing up one of these two pairs in the early going as the NBA season reaches full stride. The second set of Stephen Curry PEs released this year (USA colorways of the ClutchFit Drive were released for the FIBA Basketball World Cup), these ClutchFit Drives each incorporate the same blue and yellow accenting while the home colorway sports a white upper to the away colorway’s black. The ClutchFit Drive features an upper that acts as a second skin to better support your on-court movements and provide greater flexibility in a high top by molding to your foot. The Drive sits on top of a full Under Armour Micro G cushioned midsole and includes an external heel counter for reinforced stability. Curry and the Warriors are currently off to a 1-0 start following their opening night victory over Sacramento behind Curry’s game highs of 24 points and six steals.
The two Stephen Curry PE colorways of the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive drop tomorrow, November 1, at Foot Locker stores and Footlocker.com (starting at 8:00 a.m. EDT) for $ 125. To see if a store near you will be carrying this release, check out the Launch Locator.
Nike Air Force 1 Mid “Flax”
Oct 30th
Sticking with the seasonal theme dominating new Air Force 1 colorways at the moment, Foot Locker will have this weekend’s Nike Air Force Mid “Flax” release on November 1. With an upper cloaked completely in flax colored nubuck, the Nike Air Force 1 Mid “Flax” sits atop a matching gum bottom which is just about the same color as the upper. Outdoor green accents can be found on the shoe’s branding on the tongue, ankle, heel, and top of the toe box.
Perfect for fall, which is now in full swing, this pair will be dropping on Saturday, November 1, to help you get over your post Halloween blues. You can find the release at Foot Locker, House of Hoops by Foot Locker, and online at Footlocker.com for $ 125. Check out the Launch Locator to see if a store near you will be carrying this release.
Nike KD VII Lifestyle White/Ice Blue
Oct 30th
The Nike KD VII Lifestyle White/Ice Blue is the latest iteration of the sneaker that is reminiscent of summer days and all-white parties under the sun. The material of white ostrich leather is used on the paneled upper while tribe-inspired details are present on the tongue and heel tab. Cap off the shoe with an “Ice Blue” outsole that makes the shoe really pop. A gold laser-etched Swoosh at the toe box completes this offering from Nike.
Available in select stores and online tomorrow. Check out Release Locator for stores.
Introducing the adidas J Wall 1
Oct 29th
John Wall is one of the most exciting players in the NBA today. His quickness on the court electrifies the crowd and drives opponents crazy. For his style of play he needs a shoe that can keep up with him. Enter the adidas J Wall 1. Dropping this Friday, October 31st Wall’s first signature adidas basketball shoe drops exclusively at Foot Locker. To celebrate these huge achievement, we teamed up with adidas and Wall to film a hilarious commercial called “The Process” which debuted this week. Watch the commercial below and check out images of the J Wall 1 hitting stores this Halloween in two colors for $ 115 each. Check the Launch Locator to see which stores will have the kicks.
SHOP THE J WALL 1 COLLECTION
Black/Grey – $ 115
Navy/Red/Grey – $ 115
2014-2015 NBA Sneaker Preview
Oct 28th
The NBA regular season kicks off tomorrow night and if you’re a big fan of the League, you’ve probably read yourself a fair amount of previews and predictions for the upcoming campaign. We won’t throw our hat in the ring (fitted, snapback, or bucket) but we will hit you with a preview of what the season in kicks should look like and who you should be looking out for to drop some gems.
Charlotte Hornets: In a move that legions of NBA fans were waiting for, Michael Jordan converted his Charlotte Bobcats back into one of the most successful off-court basketball brands in history: the Charlotte Hornets. Now a full generation removed from the Larry Johnson and Mugsy Bogues led Hornets, a new wave of players will don the teal and purple. As a result, an entire team will now, by default, sport some of the loudest shoe colorways in the league. Look for big things from Under Armour’s Kemba Walker and, of course, Jordan Brand’s own Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bismack Biyombo will be hooked up directly from the boss-man.
Toronto Raptors: There were no branding or team name or color changes in Toronto but last season this team brought heat night in and night out. The lone Canadian team deserves mention on their kick game alone, however, official Raptors ambassador Drake is now officially a member of Team Jordan. Time will only tell if this will effect the team’s shoe game or not but it certainly can’t hurt. Nor can the fact that this young team is clearly on the rise in the Eastern Conference.
adidas
Damian Lillard: Damian Lillard is one of the fastest rising stars in the NBA and deservedly so. At just 24 and in his third season as the Blazers floor general, he has the full backing of Rip City and adidas. As proof, early next year, Lillard will be added to their roster of NBA signature athletes with Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, and John Wall. Though he’ll start the season as the face of the new adi Boost Crazy Light 4, Lillard will sport his very own kicks come 2015.
Derrick Rose: It’s been two years since Derrick Rose has been at full health with so much excitement to enter the season. Some experts have even tabbed the Bulls as the favorites in the Eastern Conference. Unlike Rose’s return last season, Derrick has already proven he’s returned to the player he once was with a strong showing at the FIBA Basketball World Cup where USA took gold and in an impressive pre-season for Chicago. More importantly, the adi D Rose 5, the first signature basketball shoe to incorporate adi Boost technology, has already dropped and is next up in Rose’s signature line of kicks.
John Wall: Though his move from Reebok to adidas is already a full season old, Wall will join the likes of Kobe Bryant as All-Stars of recent memory with signature shoes from two different brands. Later this month the adidas John Wall 1 will drop exclusively at Foot Locker but you’ll be able to see them in action for the first time in our newest Foot Locker Approved X addias commercial (and also on court as Wall begins a very important and pivotal season that has the potential to see his Washington Wizards vaulted to the top of the NBA power rankings).
Jeremy Lin: While he might not be top of mind when you’re thinking about NBA sneakerheads, Jeremy Lin is one of adidas’ most marketable players and his arrival in Los Angeles will give the three stripes huge opportunities in the country’s second largest media market – not to mention his already booming popularity in Asia. The former Harvard man has been on a roll releasing viral videos this summer, including this one from adidas. It’s been a long time since adidas has had a star in LA so don’t sleep on the kicks that the Lakers starting point guard will be lacing up this season.
Nike
LeBron James: In case this is the only NBA article you’ve read since the 2013-2014 season wrapped up we’ll take it upon ourselves to inform you that LeBron James left the Miami Heat to return home and sign for the Cleveland Cavaliers. While this obviously has huge implications for the NBA in terms of talent distribution, the King’s move to Cleveland has a pretty significant impact on the sneaker industry as well. If you were a fan of Heat themed colorways of LeBron’s signature shoe, you’re probably going to be disappointed, but the move to the Cavs opens up a whole new arsenal of colors that we’ll see the LeBron XII released in. In the past, Cleveland has had some pretty loud uniform colorways that have ranged from black/orange/blue to wine/gold and this year a new uniform to celebrate Lebron’s return in navy/wine/gold. Expect LeBron to surprise with new heat every time the team plays in one of these retro or alternate uniforms.
Kobe Bryant: Kobe Bryant will finally get a chance this week to wear the Nike Kobe IX during a regular season game for the first time. Bryant’s ninth signature shoe with Nike is also one of the most unique releases we’ve seen over the course of the past year and, though it’s been a success technically and stylistically to this point, it obviously needs to be worn on court by its namesake to complete the grandeur.
Kevin Durant: Unfortunately for the Thunder, NBA fans, and Durant himself, the Durantula will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks with a bone fracture in his foot. Fortunately for sneaker enthusiasts, Nike has begun to release Durant’s signature line annually in the summer. The Nike KD VII has been in stores since mid-summer and we were just treated to the “On The Road” colorway last weekend. Everyone at Foot Locker wishes Kevin a speedy recovery from his surgery and we hope to see him stronger than ever come his return.
Kyrie Irving & James Harden: We’re including Kyrie on this list for a number of reasons that should lead to the spotlight being on both him and his footwear. First, the Cavs have become the center of basketball universe due to LeBron’s return to northeast Ohio. Secondly, due to the gruesome injury to Paul George of the Pacers, Kyrie, along with James Harden, become that much more important to Nike’s non-signature basketball marketing efforts. Kyrie will sport the Nike HyperRev and Hyperdunk to kick off the season while Harden is expected to lace up the Nike Zoom Run The One as he did during his legendary game of Horse With Harden.
Amar’e Stoudemire & JR Smith
Jordan
Blake Griffin & Russell Westbrook: In the last full year, Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook have become the faces of Jordan Brand’s performance basketball lines – the Super.Fly and the Air Jordan, respectively. Though the pair are competitors for legitimate contenders in the Western Conference, they team up to provide the faces of what could be one of Jordan’s most successful years of on-court performance kicks with the releases of the Air Jordan XX9 (fronted by Westbrook) and the Super.Fly 3 (Griffin).
Chris Paul & Carmelo Anthony: Bonafide NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul had very different off-seasons. Paul welcomed a new owner to the Los Angeles Clippers family why Melo rebuffed the suitors to remain home with the New York Knicks. As stars of their respective teams and two of the most recognizable faces in the League, the duo also account for the two signature basketball lines from Jordan. Paul will be releasing the Jordan CP3.VIII on November 5th while Melo’s Jordan M11 is scheduled to drop for the first time in January.
Jabari Parker: The Milwaukee Bucks rookie and number two overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft from Duke, signed with Jordan Brand before he was drafted into the NBA – leading him to wear this awesome tie clip to the Draft. While Parker is not a signature athlete (yet) keep an eye on the young Buck in Milwaukee to be rocking some heat on and off the court as the season gets underway.
Under Armour
Stephen Curry: While Kemba Walker gets brand new colorways in Charlotte from UA due to his team’s branding change, Curry has been the face of the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive and will release his second wave of Player Edition colorways later this week. Steph already rocked his USA colorways of the Drive in Spain during the FIBA Basketball World Cup and will be making it rain in the same model all season from Golden State.
Reebok
Isaiah Thomas: The former Sacramento Kings point guard left California’s capital for the desert this offseason and joined the Phoenix Suns to form the mind boggling trio of point guards there that already included Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. Thomas is also the most prolific endorser of Reebok basketball in the NBA right now so look to Arizona to see new colorways of some Reebok classics on the feet of the agile former Washington Husky.
Nike Air Max Penny 1 Black/White/Royal
Oct 28th
This Nike Air Max Penny 1 Retro arrives in a very special Orlando Magic colorway. The predominantly black nubuck upper, royal blue trim and white Swoosh branding serves as look that could be considered an “Away” colorway. The Nike Air Penny continues to rise in popularity as these Retros continue to be released year after year, which some credit can be given to the Nike Sportswear team who iterate the original sneakers in fresh new ways.
Available in stores and online Friday. Check out Release Locator for stores.
Nike LeBron 12 ‘HRT of a Lion’
Oct 27th
The wait is over. The highly anticipated Nike LeBron 12 will debut this Thursday, October 30th in the ‘HRT of a Lion’ colorway. The first colorway to be released in the Twelve line, the ‘HRT of a Lion’ is inspired by LeBron’s untamed game and his lion-like passion and fearlessness that he brings to the court night in and night out. Over 11 season’s LeBron has demonstrated the courageous heart of a lion while being tested both physically and mentally on the court, and it is that fearlessness that drives the first colorway in the series. Officially a ‘University Red/Black-White-Hyper Crimson’ the shoe’s upper is cloaked evenly between the University Red engineer mesh and Hyperfuse and the white body. An icy blue midsole is just visible on the bottom of the shoe but when you look at the sole, a new colorful Nike Hexagon cushioning system is revealed.
The Nike LeBron 12 ‘HRT of a Lion’ drops this Thursday, October 30 at Foot Locker, House of Hoops by Foot Locker, and Footlocker.com (starting at 8:00 a.m. EDT) for $ 200. Full family kids sizes will also be available. Check the Launch Locator to see which stores will have this release.
Nike KD7 ‘On the Road’
Oct 27th
Kevin Durant’s latest signature colorway, the Nike KD7 ‘On the Road’ will be worn by #35 in away games for the 2014-15 season. Kevin Durant’s journey on the road has brought him around the world and back multiple times as he enters his eighth year in the pros. Durant has logged roughly 225 hours of playing time in away games since turning pro, which has prepared him well for the demands of road trips.
As reigning MVP on one of the league’s most successful road teams, Durant has faced a fair share of opposing crowds. The pressure builds character, and Durant has welcomed the pressure with open arms. Being tested on the road leads to success. “Success is not a destination, it’s a journey,” said Durant. “I approach each road game like a business trip where we have a job to do — this is part of the journey.”
The KD7 ‘On the Road’ pays respect to his team with a blue, orange, silver and black color scheme that’s set off with a distinctive blue strap. As the eighth KD7 colorway to release since the shoe’s debut in June, the KD7 On the Road’s tribute to thunder continues the creative narrative related to weather. Atmospheric graphics on the orange outsole and a silver Swoosh are nods to the weather and Durant’s fascination with meteorology.
The Nike KD7 ‘On the Road’ drops Thursday, October 23rd at Foot Locker, House of Hoops by Foot Locker and Footlocker.com (starting at 8:00 a.m. EDT) for $ 150. Check the Launch Locator to see which stores will have this release.
Jordan X ‘Slam Dunk’ Collection Release Details
Oct 26th
Jordan Brand is back with a new limited edition pack inspired by the ‘Slam Dunk’ Japanese manga series. The pack consists of an Air Jordan 6 Retro and Jordan Super.Fly 3 (sold separately). For full details on the pack and release information please read below.
STORE RELEASE DETAILS
In partnership with mall management, SELECT House of Hoops by Foot Locker stores will implement a sweepstakes ticket procedure* in order to purchase the Air Jordan 6 Retro ‘Slam Dunk’(on sale 11/1 for $ 250) and the Jordan Super.Fly 3 ‘Slam Dunk’ (on sale 11/1/14 for $ 185). The sweepstakes tickets will be given out on Monday, October 27th and Tuesday, October 28th. If your ticket number is selected, you will be notified by phone on Wednesday, October 29th or Thursday, October 30th. These procedures are for SELECT STORES only. To find out which store near you will carry the shoe and if that store will implement the sweepstakes ticket procedure, please visit the Foot Locker Launch Locator.
ONLINE RELEASE DETAILS
Both releases will be available on Footlocker.com starting at 8:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday, November 1st.
*Our customers are our priority and we encourage everyone to follow the procedure outlined above in an orderly and safe manner. We thank you in advance.
During the ‘90s, the game of basketball experienced rapid globalization. Basketball fans around the world tuned in to watch the top talent in the game. Michael Jordan became the face of the basketball surge, rising to global super-stardom and inspiring a legion of fans — including Japanese manga artist, Takehiko Inoue.
ENTER SAKURAGI
In 1990, Inoue introduced the world to the fictional Hanamichi Sakuragi – the protagonist in his popular “Slam Dunk” manga series. Sakuragi began as an outcast at his high school with a reputation for causing trouble. After a girl rejected him, he tried out for the basketball team, where he showcased his natural athleticism and helped turn his previously unknown high school team into an all-star contender in Japan. “I have been hugely inspired by Michael Jordan’s game, as well as his attitude. It’s been a great honor to have this opportunity,” said Inoue. “At first, he was someone from a different planet — he could stay in the air longer than anybody else. Then I began to see him as someone who always encourages you to set a vision and challenge yourself to achieving it.”
IN THE DETAILS
Inoue focused on details to continue the narrative of Sakuragi’s story, which hasn’t been in development since 1996. When readers last saw Sakuragi, he was sidelined with injuries. During the past 18 years, Inoue has said he’d imagine Sakuragi was still alive somewhere, recovering from injury and working out while continuing to think of himself as “the genius” he once was in high school basketball. Those days inspired the illustration — which will never be published — on the Jordan Super.Fly 3, part of a new Jordan Brand collection created in partnership with Inoue.
The number 10 is present throughout the collection, replacing the standard 23. The number is a nod to Sakuragi’s player number and establishes the Jordan Brand x Slam Dunk collaboration as the character’s very own player-exclusive line. “Using a legacy shoe like the iconic Air Jordan VI, as well as our latest performance model in the Jordan Super.Fly 3, served as the perfect vehicle to highlight the past and present — both in the product and the manga storyline,” said Gemo Wong, Energy Director for Jordan Brand.
Air Jordan 6 Retro
The limited Slam Dunk edition has an interesting take on the iconic silhouette. An all-red upper features the iconic imagery fans of the 31-volumed manga series have grown to love. The images highlight moments from the series, paying tribute to the legacy of Sakuragi’s personal growth and on-court talent.
Super.Fly 3
The Jordan Brand’s latest performance model — the Jordan Super.Fly 3 — is the canvas for the new sketches of the “Slam Dunk” world. The all-black upper provides the perfect backdrop to showcase the continued on-court legacy of Sakuragi. Even the shoebox serves as an additional platform to tell Sakuragi’s continued story.
Nike Kobe 9 Elite ‘Restored’
Oct 25th
Even if you’re not a Lakers fan, basketball fans everywhere have to be excited about Kobe Bryant’s return to the court this season. Even in his twilight years, Kobe is still one of the top players in the game today and can put on an incredible performance on any given night. The Lakers are a team in transition and the Black Mamba will be tested in leading a young core group trying to restore the winning tradition. Knowing Kobe’s insane work ethic and killer instinct personality, he certainly will be up for the challenge. With that mindset in mind and to usher in the new season, Nike has a created a special colorway for his Kobe 9 Elite for him to rock on court this season. The shoe features a striking, volt and black upper accented with a Metallic Gold colored Swoosh which adds a premium look. The Kobe 9 Elite is equipped with the familiar Flyknit construction, and of course provides that ultralight feel and the lockdown and responsiveness that a Kobe shoe demands.
The Nike Kobe 9 Elite ‘Restored’ drops Thursday, October 23rd at Foot Locker, House of Hoops by Foot Locker and Footlocker.com (starting at 8:00 a.m. EDT) for $ 225. Check the Launch Locator to see which stores will have this release.