Another week, another loss for Team Sneaker News. It’s been a bad 2011 thus far, but a consolation from this week was that our injured players had time to heal, and we made an improvement, going from 1-7-1 a week before to 4-5. This week’s match-up against bottom-dweller DRJAYS could not have come ata a better time, but does this seemingly fortuitous match-up bode well for Team Sneaker News? Emeka Okafor, who has been upgraded to ‘Questionable’, is exactly that, and Eric Gordon is still out with injury. With the Playoffs around the corner and the two top seeds already clinched, can Team Sneaker News hold on and make it to postseason play in the FLuD Watches “Barksdale & Bell” fantasy basketball league? Stick around and we’ll keep you posted!

TEAM SNEAKERNEWS WEEK 17 MVP
Monta Ellis – With fearless leader Amare Stoudemire available for just one game, the Warriors top-flight scorer rose to the occasion and provided 56 points and 10 assists, 5 steals, and 4 3-pointers to help the Team Sneaker News cause.

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Cartoon Network’s Hall of Game Awards were held on Monday afternoon in Santa Monica, California at the Barkar Hangar, and a number of celebrities were on hand for the awards show including Nelly, Terrell Owens, Kobe Bryant, Travis McCoy, Venus Williams, Tony Hawk and more. Although this was a Cartoon Network event, there was no shortage of real heat on the red carpet and during the show, as Nelly and T.O. both showed up rocking some of the latest Air Jordan’s including Nelly’s Air Jordan V ‘Premio’ from the Bin 23 Collection and the Air Jordan III in White and Cement Grey, which T.O. was seen wearing. Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, whose coming fresh off of his fourth NBA All-Star Game MVP performance, showed up wearing a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe VI’s in the ‘Orange County’ colorway. Take a look at who else was in attendance below…

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Of the very few ‘knocks’ against the Nike Zoom Kobe VI, the most resounding one is regarding the colorways. At this point, there still hasn’t been a bonafide ‘Lakers’ colorway – that is, one that combines purple and yellow. In fact, purple and yellow have been kept mutually exclusive in the Nike Zoom Kobe VI so far, as the two primary versions that Kobe has been wearing is the Black/Del Sol-White pair and the White/Black-Concord version. What gives? Perhaps a way of pushing consumers to Nike iD? There’s no denying that the Kobe VI colorways have been great, but it’s still missing that one true quintessential Lakers variety that it sorely needs. We recently showed you the ‘POP’ Kobe VI, which combined white, black, and yellow, so here’s a look at yet another Kobe VI colorway in ‘reverse’ form of the POP. Featuring a bright yellow upper with black trim on the heel, midsole, inner lining and tongue with a white outsole, this upcoming release – while still ‘Lakers’ – also lacks a hint of purple that Kobe fans are all patiently waiting for. Continue reading for a detailed look and let us know what you think, and be sure to stick with Sneaker News for more updates.

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Undefeated in Los Angeles and Las Vegas recently opened its doors for the release of the UNDFTD x Converse Poorman Weapon in the all-new Burgundy colorway. Friends, family, and frenzied sneakerheads showed up to cop the crisp and clean Converses inspired by classic flight jackets and the time-honored Poorman Weapon design. Live music provided by a DJ, drinks and beverages flowing, sick kicks up for grabs. Can it get any better? Continue reading for a nice recap of the release events of the UNDFTD x Converse Poorman Weapon from LA and Las Vegas after the jump and if you want to pick up a pair, snag one now on eBay.

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Nike Sportswear debuted Vac Tech molding on last year’s Air Royalty ‘Macarons Pack’, and its remained a staple for that model and its cousin ever since.  Here’s a new set of Nike Air Royal Mid Lite VT Quickstrikes that makes a new use of this unique construction, with the end product something like a pair of Royal Crocs.  The one-piece molded body is covered from midfoot to heel in huge perforations that’ll make these among the coolest and most breathable sneakers on tap for summer.  Click through to get a better look and let us know what you think of the new Air Royal Mid Lite VT.  via X-kicks

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Nike celebrates Black History Month with special sneaker releases every February, most of which are connected to the game of basketball.  The Swoosh outfits more NBA ballers than any other company, but here’s a tribute befitting a brand who has but one.  Le Coq Sportif provides kicks for Chicago Bulls big man Joakim Noah, but with a base in racquet sports (Noah’s father was a pro tennis player), the company gets back to its core with this hanon x Le Coq Sportif Arthur Ashe Premium.  This collaboration with Scotland’s best sneaker spot celebrates a tennis legend for whom the USTA’s main stadium in Flushing is named.  Their unassuming design seems right for a guy whose soft spoken demeanor belied his ruthless precision on-court, and we’re happy to learn that proceeds from the sales will go to benefit the Arthur Ashe Foundation.  A mere 100 pairs will be issued and available for purchase on Saturday, Feburary 26th, so click through to get a better look and let us know if you plan to grab these.

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Five championships. One MVP award. Two Finals MVPs. Four All-Star Game MVPs. Thirteen All-Star Games. All-NBA everything. If that isn’t a ‘Venomenal’ career, then nothing is. Kobe Bryant’s most recent accolade came during the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, when he took the hometown MVP after scoring 37 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, dropped 3 dimes, and tallying 3 steals while leading the West to a victory over the stacked East. He looks to repeat that performance over and over again throughout the rest of the season and during the Playoffs, and you can emulate Kobe’s game while wearing the Nike Zoom Kobe Venomenon, a take-down version of this year’s signature Zoom Kobe VI. The Black/Volt-Green Apple gives off the reptilian persona that Kobe has perfected throughout his career, so although you won’t be able to play like him, you can at least look the part. Asian retailer wasistockts just made these available so take another look after the jump.

Style: 429653-033
Color: Black/Volt-Green Apple

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Were you excited for the Nike Air Max 1 ‘ACG Pack’? Not a true hybrid per se, but certainly a welcome partnership between two classic Nike pieces of history, This Black and Victory Green color features a tonal black upper with a weather-ready material and victory green swooshes, but the most interesting tidbit about this release is the alternate colors of the laces (green on the right, red on the left). The grey outsole matches the Nike Air Max x ACG label on the tongue as well as the ACG mountain peak logo on the heel as well. Very ‘Un-Heineken’, don’t you think? These have slowly begun to appear at Nike Sportswear accounts so if you’ve been waiting around to get these, Schuh-You has them available – or check out the prices on eBay.

Style: 308866-020
Color: Black/Victory Green

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LeBron and Kobe have a mutual respect for each other, but it’s more competitive than friendly. They were certainly going at it during the NBA All-Star Game with Kobe coming out on top, but remember LeBron and the Miami Heat easily handled the Lakers during their Christmas Day match-up two months ago. Are LeBron and Kobe poised to meet in the playoffs? Here’s another detailed viewing of LeBron James’ third signature shoe of the season, the Nike LeBron 8 P.S. in White, Varsity Red, and Black. These are likely to be James’ go-to pair for Home games, and if he makes the Finals, there could be a special colorway on the way with ‘Big Stage’ proportions. There’s no denying that the LeBron 8 P.S. is an amalgam of Nike’s best and brightest technologies of Max Air, Zoom Air, Fuse, but whether or not that will translate into postseason success is yet to be seen. A detailed gallery awaits you below – don’t miss out. via NikeLeBron.

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The past couple years have been dominated by conservative and tonal colorways, last year in particular being a calendar full of black, grey and white.  Well here’s a new Nike Air Max Light and while its construction is almost entirely tonal grey, the South Beach-style accents remind us of another theme sweeping through Nike designs of late.  And while we’ve come to label pretty much anything with teal and pink as MIA-inspired, it’s also worth noting that the teal on these anchors them to a wide range of denim shades.  Click through to get a better look and grab yours today from Titolo.

Style: 315827-037

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The biggest trade in recent NBA history just went down last night, sending Brooklyn-native Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks, guaranteeing Madison Square Garden a dynamic duo of Melo and STAT for at least another three seasons. To welcome him in the right way, urban apparel label UNDRCRWN created this new Carmelo Anthony t-shirt styled after the old-school adidas logo for another Knicks legend – none other than Mr. Patrick Ewing. You might remember Ewing’s adidas Conductor High which featured his logo on the tongue, but this time it’s been updated to reflect New York’s latest superstar. UNDRCRWN has a pre-order available right now with a ship-date of March 1st, so take a look below and let us know what you think of New York’s acquisition of Carmelo Anthony.

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After seemingly having taken one for the team to give the Zoom Bruin SB a chance to shine, the Nike SB Blazer Low is back in Swoosh Skateboarding’s regular rotation.  The newest colorway is quite familiar thanks to a very similar pair having released last year as part of the Icon x Icon Pack.  Navy blue suede and yellow accents still echoes Brian Anderson’s nautical theme, but without the embroidered Swoosh and themed accouterments, these are closer to Michigan than Midshipmen.  Click through to get a better look and grab yours today from Flatspot.

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