Nike calls ‘em ‘Rustic’, but these are two of the smoothest and most sophistocated packs we’ve seen of late.  Available today at Nike Sportswear’s 21 Mercer St. flagship store in New York are the latest Nike Air Zoom Toki Quickstrike and Blazer Mid Supreme, which is a Tier Zero release.  Both go with that beautiful lightly-oiled caramel-coloured leather that might look even better when scuffs are strategically applied.  Darker brown laces add balance, with white vulcanized soles (and piping on the Tokis) brightening up the whole picture.

Nike Sportswear
21 Mercer Street | Map
New York, NY 10013
TEL #: 212-226-5433

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Whether he and LeBron could end up as teammates is a matter of wild speculation at this point, but Dwyane Wade is most definitely getting his hands (and feet) onto (and into) some dope Air Jordans.  We just saw his Air Jordan 16.5 PE against King James and the Cavaliers, and now D-Wade’s Twitter is showing off a brand new colourway of the recently unveiled 25th edition of the series, Air Jordan 2010.  This one is black nubuck with a white circle enclosing the ‘window’ and grey on the midsole and heel tab, plus ‘WADE’ on the inner eye placket to signify the PE-status.  Expect these in February 2010.

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Many expect LeBron James to create a new phase in his career by signing with the New York Knicks or some other bigger-city squad when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.  You can consider the artist’s rendering above an indication of a less significant change that hints at the whole summer-of-Ten thing.

LeBron James is changing his number to ’6′ starting next year.  The King knows he’s not the ‘next Michael Jordan’, but he does revere MJ:

I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized in some way – soon.  There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade, you name all the best players in the league right now and the last 10 years, there would be none of us without Michael Jordan.

For those in the know, this isn’t a huge shock.  LeBron has been spotted warming up for Cavs games wearing number 6 (one night even slipping it on by accident while sitting the bench), wore that number on his way to Olympic gold, and oh yeah, he’s been saying it since at least February 2009: “If the NBA retired 23 because of Michael like baseball did with Jackie Robinson [42], I would definitely switch it. Maybe I would someday, we’ll see.”

After last night’s victory over the Miami Heat, Bron-Bron suggested:

It’s time [for the NBA to retire 23]. He’s the best basketball player we’ve ever seen. Mike does it on the court and off the court. If you see 23, you think about Michael Jordan. You see guys flying through the air, you think about Michael Jordan. You see game-winning shots, you think about Michael Jordan. You see fly kicks, you think about Michael Jordan. He did so much, it has to be recognized, and not just by putting him in the Hall of Fame.

Though the Knicks get nearly all the ’10 press, we can’t help but wondering about the timing.  See, Heat GM Pat Riley was so impressed with MJ himself (must’ve been all those playoff drubbings in the early ’90s) that he made the double-triple off-limits for Miami players during His Airness’ farewell tour in ’03.

Could this be a sign that LeBron would be changing his number anyway, and that there might be some sample pictures leaked that would reveal his intention to sign-up for the South Beach lifestyle?

That’s pure speculation, of course, but a LeBron-Wade team seems like a natural candidate for the next great NBA dynasty.  It’s a marketing opportunity so powerful that it could probably even break through the invisible Nike-Jordan Brand ‘wall’.  Stick with Sneaker News for updates on all LeBron James sneakers.

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We expected LeBron James to wear the Yankees 27th World Series edition of the Nike Zoom LeBron VII (7) during his only appearance at Madison Square Garden last Saturday.  King James surprised us by wearing those on Wednesday against Orlando, opting for the Red Carpet edition against the Knicks at MSG.  Then, Nike turned around and released these at House of Hoops yesterday with zero warning.  With all this trickery, it’s understandable if you missed them, but have no fear: Osneaker has a limited run of this LeBron quickstrike.

Style: 383578-101
Color: White/Black/Baltic Blue

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On behalf of the Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program, Dwyane Wade popped into Miami Norland Senior High School on Wednesday to host the ‘Layups for Learning’ event.  Five lucky students got the opportunity to sink a shot in the paint and earn some grant cash for their school.  Wade spent his day doing his part for the community but still had plenty of energy left to show off his new Air Jordan 16.5 PEs against LeBron and the Cavaliers.

In these photos, we get a good sense of how perfect the nickname ‘Flash’ turns out to be when it’s united with the Heat’s red and yellow signature colours.  Wade will likely rock the Air Jordan 2010 when it releases right after we flip the calendar, but you can get some up-close looks at what’s likely to be a standby for the next month or so, thanks to detailed YahooSports photos after the jump.

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What do Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley all have in common?  No, not the Hall of Fame or the 1992 Dream Team. At one time or another, they were all posterized by the man known as the Human Highlight Film, and so was just about everyone else in the NBA during the 1980′s for that matter. Before Jordan-mania took over the league, Dominique Wilkins was the most electrifying show around. Despite being a 9-time NBA All-Star, 1985-86 Scoring Champion and one of only six players in history to average at least 25 points per game in 10 consecutive seasons, Nique still seems to be overlooked by many fans when they discuss the greats of his era. In fact, Wilkins was controversially left out of the NBA Top 50 Players list that was named in 1996, an oversight that he eloquently addresses in the quote that appears in the window of Packer Shoes as they prepare to honor Nique with their collaboration installment of the Reebok Pump 20th Anniversary Collection.

With their Pump design, Packer chose to pay homage to the early days of the Pump and one of the driving forces behind their initial popularity. Although he was the number one Reebok Pump endorser in the NBA, Dominique never had his own personalized version of the shoe. Packer Shoes has taken it upon themselves to right that injustice by creating one for him now. As you have probably already deduced from the teasers, the Packer Reebok Pump2o offering is inspired by the Human Highlight Film and is equipped with an Atlanta Hawks color scheme and several personal nods to Dominique. The most notable touch comes by way of the gold “85″ and “90″ stitching on the back of the heels, a tribute to his two Slam Dunk Champion titles.

Aside from being a prolific scorer, the art of high-flying dunk acrobatics defined Wilkins’ game, making him a huge fan-favorite. Packer Shoes will celebrate the release of the Nique Pump by covering nearly their entire floor with a giant photo of number 21 in flight. On Thursday November 19th, the decorative touch will serve as the red carpet for the Human Highlight Film himself when he arrives for the in-store Pump20 release event. Nique will be on hand at 10pm to sign autographs, talk to fans and if you’re lucky, throw down a vicious windmill dunk in your face. There will also be matching t-shirts and a special DJ VinRoc mixtape available, featuring clips of NBA announcers marveling over Dominique highlights spliced into the tracks. Keep reading for a look at the official video introduction to the shoe and a peek at the amazing floor graphic installation. Check back early next week for the official unveiling of detailed images of the Packer Shoes x Reebok Pump20 collaboration.

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Get your comments ready, because we finally get a good look at the latest Air Jordan Force Fusion model, one of the more heavily scrutinized installments of the Fusion series. Like the AJF XIII, the Air Jordan VIII seemed like a difficult design to fuse with the Air Force 1 midsole because of the busy and intricate tooling of the original. We all know that the AJF 13 was met with quite a hostile reception from Jordan purists who were already turned off to the whole Fusion concept. The AJF 8 will likely provoke a similar reaction, but we have to admit that the hybrid transition actually went smoother than originally predicted. By now, you’ve likely already chosen sides of the Fusion debate, and while it’s unlikely that your minds will be changed by these, you still might find it interesting to check out a ton of detailed pics after the jump. These aren’t expected to drop until the Spring 2010 season, but in the meantime, take a look and be sure to let us know what you think of this latest Air Jordan x Air Force 1 concoction. Via Kinstor.

Style: 384522-101
Color: White/Grey/Varsity Red

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It’s an annual tradition, and with good reason.  The Nike Doernbecher Freestyle Foundation Auction was a huge success in 2009, raking in some well-deserved cash for the Oregon-based children’s hospital.  This year’s Doernbecher Freestyle consisted of some crazy stuff like an ‘Air-plane Yeezy’, but centered around six special designs: Shox NZ by Molly Martin, Air Max Zenyth by Anna Finley, Air Force 1 Low by Bradley Bowlby, Skinny Dunk High by Makayla Hansen, P-Rod III by Collin Callsen and Air Jordan VI (6) by Jordan Dark.  All six will be available at Nike Sportswear retailers including the 21 Mercer St. flagship tomorrow, Saturday, November 14th.

Nike Sportswear
21 Mercer Street | Map
New York, NY 10013
TEL #: 212-226-5433

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If you were thinking these should be dubbed ‘Takashi 3′, we totally understand where you were going with that.  While this would be the third ‘Takashi’-nicknamed Nike SBs, the upcoming P-Rod III picured above looks pretty much exactly like the Takashi 2 SB Dunk Low, and since the ’2′ came from the gold/silver variation, now you can get a good sense of why these will be be refered to in parlance as ‘the Takashi 2 P-Rod 3s’.  These don’t keep any of the tonal brown laser-etched leather from the famous aforementioned Dunk (though a well used ollie area will reveal a brownish ‘middle’ in the suede), instead relying on an entirely nubuck upper.  They’re set for a January ’10 release, so stick with Sneaker News for updates.  via N-SB.org

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Nike boots are hot like/thanks-in-part-to Wale right now.  Another pretty influential guy on the ‘net right now is Marcus Troy, who just revealed his latest haul: two pairs of Swoosh stompers.  Above is the Nike Heater II, which, ironically enough, is lined with 3M’s Thinsulate to ensure that your feet stay warm, but never overheat.  As for the Nike Air Max Chisulo ACG, they’re clearly influenced by the Air Trainer 1 and give the Safari print a rugged platform.  We’ll keep you updated as both hit retailers.

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Last night, we gave you a sneak peek inside the new Nike Harajuku flagship store, and to celebrate this weekend’s opening, Nike will be dropping two new player exclusive models inspired by two of Japan’s most revered athletes. Phenom pitcher, Yu Darvish, has been on the radars of Major League Baseball scouts for quite a while and will likely wind up in the U.S. very soon, but before he leaves, Nike is honoring him with his very own Trainer 1 Mid PE in a combination of white, silver, royal and yellow. The athlete that inspired the other new PE may not be a household name to you, but point guard Yuta Tabuse is known as the Japanese Jordan, and was actually the first Japanese-born NBA player when he made his debut for the Phoenix Suns in 2004. The Yuta Tabuse PE comes in the form of a flashy metallic gold Zoom Brave III with some cool multi-colored laces. No word if these will ever make it to the U.S., but the safe bet is that they will be exclusive to Nike Asia locations.

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So far, the Jordan Melo M6 has drawn mixed reviews from sneakerheads. The sixth signature Carmelo Anthony shoe from Jordan Brand goes with a fairly simplistic look, built for lightweight performance and stability. While some may find the design a little lacking, this Black on Black edition gives us a better appreciation of the lines and silhouette of the M6. The shoe features a combination of materials on the upper, with a triple Black effect that comes courtesy of sections of Black leather, suede and patent, with even a little mesh thrown into the mix. The only accents are found by the Metallic Silver Jumpman logo, midsole stitching and lining. Some cool additional touches like the “AU-79/08″ Olympic gold medal reference and the Baltimore skyline are also subtly included on the bottom of the outsole. If you’re feeling the newest Melo in this colorway, you can find them this month at select Jordan retailers. Via FootLockerUnlocked.

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