Closing out the month of January was a bucketload of great sneaker related news and happenings. The Postseason version of the Nike LeBron 8 was unveiled this week, featuring Fuse and a Zoom/Max Air cushioning combo. LeBron’s Nike counterpart Kobe Bryant had a lot going, as we got a look at some new colorways of the Kobe VI along with some new info for some his most anticipated kicks. As usual, Jordan-related topics drew the largest crowds, as we got a look at two upcoming GS Retros and a sweet historical comparison of the Air Jordan III. The 2011 NBA All-Star Game is just a few weeks away, so Sneaker News also showed you some of the All-Star kicks from Nike, Jordan, and adidas while providing a thorough viewing of what our favorite NBA All-Stars (and snubs) are wearing right now.

On the skate side of things, Sneaker News gave you a look at all the February 2011 releases in footwear apparel and topped it off with a great feature comparing the new and old Nike SB Dunk Pro. Vans also got our attention with news of another collaboration with urban/skate brand Supreme. In other collaborations, Sneaker News gave you a detailed look at the Australian colorway Packer x Reebok Court Victory Pump Grand Slam Pack which is set to release on Saturday, January 29th. Other noteworthy news was a great custom pair of Dunk Highs from Diversitile, Drake, J. Cole, and Anne Hathaway in some interesting kicks, and a big sneaker-related event recap in Houston. Of course, the biggest news story of the week was the official unveiling of the Air Jordan 2011; Sneaker News brought you first-hand coverage of all the Air Jordan 2011 upcoming releases as well as a one-on-one interview with AJ2011 co-designer Tom Luedecke. There’s a lot of great news ahead so check out Sneaker News Weekly Rewind for an opportunity to stay on top of the sneaker game – that’s all Sneaker News has to offer.

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If when you saw those teaser pics of the Packer Shoes x Reebok Court Victory Pump “Grand Slam” pack, and you thought to yourself, ‘I need all four!’ then you’d better be on your grind tomorrow. Packer will be releasing the Australia installment of the pack to coincide with this weekend’s Australian Open finals. The shoe will go on sale tomorrow at 12 noon at Packer Shoes in Teaneck, NJ, or you can grab yourself a pair from the online pop-up store. Less than 100 pairs will be up for grabs, so if you’re looking to complete a Court Victory Pump “grand slam” of your own, you’d better act fast tomorrow, because these will not last long.

Packer Shoes
941 Teaneck Road | Map
Teaneck, NJ 07666

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The Air Jordan XII Low ‘Taxi’ will arrive during the warmer months of the year, meaning these might be the Air Jordan Retro to cop for the summer. The majority of our readers preferred a Mid version and although Jordan Brand isn’t shy about re-releasing roughly the same shoe in a short span of time (the Air Jordan VI White/Varsity Red and the Infrared Pack were separated by a week), but a low-top is definitely more fitting for the season. There is indeed a list of others that might be more ‘worthy’ of a Retro release, but those will come in due time. Check out these new detailed images of the Air Jordan XII Low’ Taxi’ below and let us know if you’ll be getting these when they drop – or if you’re holding out something else. via rstor.

Style: 308317-104
Color: White/Black-Taxi

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On the last weekend before the arrival of the Chinese New Year, the Nike Air Force 1 ‘Year of the Rabbit’ is set for a release. Featuring a milky-white outsole, a chenille swoosh with alternating colors on the lateral and medial side, and combination of leather and suede on the upper, the Year of the Rabbit Air Force 1 almost has a Bespoke-like level of luxury, but at far less a cost. The initial release in China included a special White Rabbit candy-inspired packaging and unfortunately most, if not all of the U.S. release will not, but the packaging is an afterthought at this point because you’ll be wanting to wear these any chance you get. These are slated to release tomorrow, January 29th, at 21 Mercer and other select top-tier Nike Sportswear accounts, so check out these new detailed images below. If you’re unable to get to one of the stores, pick up a pair now on eBay.

Style: 318988-100
Color: White/Crimson-Varsity Royal

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The split-tongued classic runner from Asics has gained a ton of steam over the last few years, but if you’re still not a believer of the GLIII, these upcoming release for the Fall/Winter 2011 season should be enough reason to make you convert. Like any other classic runner, the Asics Gel Lyte III banks on color-blocking to make a simple release a great one, and what’s expected for later this year is full of ‘em, like the simple red/white/blue/grey joints (un-Slam Jam, if you will) and the vibrant combo of bright green, black, and salmon orange. Check out what other colorways are in store for the Asics Gel Lyte III below and let us know which you like best. via FnG.

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Hosting an award show is a tough gig. Not only does a prospective host need to keep an audience of 40 million entertained for three hours, but he/she needs to do so without error in reciting lines or the names of nominees while avoiding controversial puns (ahem Ricky Gervais), undermining other actors (ahem Chris Rock), or being flat out boring (ahem David Letterman). That’s why Anne Hathaway and James Franco, two of the youngest to ever book the the hosting job, are preparing via a tough training regiment to not only to run a good show, but to break a decades-old tradition of older Oscar hosts who might not be in touch with the younger movie-going crowd. In this recent ABC promo for the Oscars, Hathaway (an Oscar Host in Training) performed her free-weight sets wearing the Jeremy Scott x adidas JS Wings in Gold and Black, matching the coveted Oscar trophy (one that she hopes to win herself since being nominated for her role in ‘Rachel Getting Married’). Check out Anne Hathaway and her JS Wings below!

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$800 will get you the most premium pair of Nike Air Force 1s designed to your liking, with everything – the materials, the colors, the laces, the outsoles – up for alteration. The Nike Air Force 1 Bespoke Experience certainly the ultimate sneaker-customization session out there and based on the countless Bespoke creations we’ve seen over the last year, it’s certainly the hot item for Air Force 1 fanatics. Recently, Mark Goldman of Nike SB left a short yet sweet message on his twitter, which read nothing more than ‘Bespoke Dunk’. While this in fact signifies nothing concrete, could a Nike Dunk Bespoke be on the way? Imagine a world full of What-The-Dunks – frankenstein creations taking body parts from the most historic Nike SB Dunks ever created. True Dunk mayhem is what would result, but then again, this is just speculation and perhaps we are reading too much into the tweet. Nevertheless, Goldman definitely had some sort of message to convey behind his tweet, so let us know: What do you think of the idea of a Nike Dunk Bespoke? via N-SB.

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One-third of the fragment design x Nike Dunk High features a colorway made for London in a unique yellow and pink colorway, which is inspired by album artwork from the first album of the London, UK-based Sex Pistols. The ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols’ features yellow and pink, which was transferred to the Dunk High, a colorway selected by Hiroshi Fujiwara. The selection could be considered as a tribute to Malcolm McLaren, the legendary music producers and manager of the Sex Pistols, who passed away in April of 2010. In addition to the great colorway, the fragment design x Nike Dunk High ‘London’ features reverse color-blocking on the left and right shoe with the fragment design logo stamped on the heel. These have begun to hit select retailers in Europe like Germany’s The Glade so take another look below and if you need yours now, you can find a few pairs floating around on eBay.

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We’ve seen adidas Originals offer a few pointed themes this spring, namely mid-’00s-style high contrast looks and some others that are wild in their own right thanks to animal inspiration.  This new pair of adidas Originals Forum Mids falls into the latter category, its upper comprised of the rarely seen combo of suede and snakeskin.  This tonal blue look plus the inevitable black streaks on the reptile sections along with white accent hits make for a good look in north Florida, but this magic will be available at select Three Stripes retailers around the world soon, so click through to get a better look and stick with Sneaker News for an update on their release.  via CT

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Last year was a banner annum for the Asics Gel Lyte III, which released in a variety of stellar collaborations along with the original colorways.  This time around it’s another classic runner’s time to shine, as the Gel Lytespeed will return in its OG palette.  One look at these bright colorways and the style in which they’re blocked and it’ll be obvious this was a shoe conceived in 1989 and released to retail in ’91 (you guys want some grapes?), every bit the time capsule quality as an Infrared Air Max 90 retro.  But these joints’ relative obscurity might earn you an extra bit of respect from the increasingly well educated sneakerhead community, and you can click on the jump below to decide if they’re the shoe for you.  SnkrFrkr reports Euro retailers started selling these today so stick with Sneaker News for updates.

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Kevin Durant made the leap from being his team’s star player to a global superstar by helping the Oklahoma City Thunder achieve their best season since splitting from Seattle, leading the NBA in scoring AND locking up the gold for team USA at the FIBA World Championships.  It’s pretty crazy to consider, then, that this is only the second ASG nod for the young KD.   Durant’s rise over the year since his first has been nothing short of phenomenal, and with this new Nike Zoom KDIII he’ll be in contention for best All Star player exclusives.  The KDIII All Star is done in tonal West red, with the majority a pearlized material with vague Foamposite leanings.  And while the effect is attained entirely differently, these are pretty similar to the Zoom Kobe VI in their offering a huge range of red shades.  Click through to see Kevin Durant’s All Star Game sneakers and let us know if they’re better than the others we’ve seen so far.  via Kenlu

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Let’s face it: we’ve all had to make sacrifices here and there (and everywhere) to cop all the kicks we want, and this past Holiday 2010 season as well as the current Spring 2011 releases were a great example of how sneakers can truly break the bank. White/Cement III, Doernbecher III, Cool Grey XI, Air Jordan XIII galore – the list goes on and the ‘must-have’ list was just getting too long. Sometimes you might have to work out a trade to get the kicks you want, and in this new animated cartoon by REE, we must realize that sometimes ‘the trade’ can go a bit too far. Check out REE’s latest Sn’ead cartoon below and let us know what’s the most you had to give up for a pair of kicks.

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