During the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend, Kobe Bryant received a great honor from the city of Los Angeles by being immortalized in the world-famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. His handprints, sneaker footprints, name, jersey number, and the date of the momentous occasion were stamped into the wet slab of concrete. This honorary ritual is typically set aside for actors, so it’s quite the respectful gesture to have Kobe Bryant, a professional athlete, receive this note of praise. During the ceremony, Kobe wore – what else – the Nike Zoom Kobe VI ‘Hollywood’ from the Kobe VI ‘LA Pack’. The ‘Hollywood’ features a 3-D colored upper inspired by the booming trend in the movie industry. Check out the Kobe and his Kobe VI ’3-D’ after the jump and let us know what you think. via Yahoo!.

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The recent re-release of the Nike V-Series was certainly a welcome treat for those who prefer the retro hipster styling of the Swoosh, but how about the Nike Challenger, which outdates the Vengeance, Vortex, and Vector? The Challenger was born in 1979 and featured a nice combination of suede, mesh, and nylon material on the upper – an unmistakable trifecta – mirrored by this 2011 release in Grey and Varsity Royal. Last year’s tonal-colored Challenger Pack was one of the better releases of the Retro runner, but for someone who looks for something quieter, this new release should do. This brand new Nike Challenger just dropped at Schuh-You so take a look below and head there to cop a pair.

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One huge (and defining) reason as to why the Nike SB Zoom Stefan Janoski is such a successful shoe is because of its incredible lifestyle appeal and the toned down, muted, and ‘mature’ colorways like this February 2011 release. Black and Midnight Fog with a white midsole is all that this Janoski uses, and the out-of-skate appeal is quite obvious. These go well with a pair of straight jeans, khakis, shorts, and pretty much any sort of pant. The skate/street versatility is why the Janoski is being lifted into a mid-top chukka-style shoe later this year, and we can imagine those being equally successful. Check out some new pics below and cop a pair now at SB retailers like Flatspot.

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The NBA All-Star Weekend serves as a platform for the NBA’s best and brightest stars to show off their unparalleled talents and skills. While the All-Star Game itself is the biggest draw of the Weekend, the night prior to the main event features a unique threesome of events called the Slam Dunk Contest, 3-point Shootout, and Skills Challenge. The Dunk Contest is reserved for the vicious above-the-rim players, the 3-point Shootout for the league’s best snipers, and the Skills Challenge for those who have perfected the all-around game. Blake Griffin sealed the deal by leaping over the car in the Air Max Fly By, James Jones of the Miami Heat took the 3-point crown home while wearing the Nike LeBron 8, and Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, wearing the Zoom Hyperfuse,  proved that he has all-around skills that rivals the very best in the league. Other notables included Ray Allen’s Jordan Evolution ’85 PE, Chris Paul’s Jordan CP3.IV PE, and Demar Derozan’s Kobe VI iD in tonal red. Check out this nice recap of the 3-point Shootout and the Skills Challenge below and stay tuned to Sneaker News for a great recap of the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. via Yahoo!.

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We’ve known for some time what to expect from Kevin Durant in terms of 2011 NBA All Star Game sneakers and during an ASG-related appearance in Santa Monica, we got a good look at another special upcoming colorway.  The Nike Zoom KD III just popped up on NIKEiD earlier this week and Durant had his choice of five different fan-designed pairs for the next time he’ll be playing in Los Angeles.  “The joints in the middle,” Durant pointed as he chose Leo Vega and Noel Ramos’ solid effort that combines a white overlay with solid blue sole and orange-to-yellow gradient in between on the Flywire panels.  Did Durant make the right choice?  Click through for a better look at the special Zoom KDIII that Kevin Durant will wear on April 10th when the Thunder travel to Staples Center to challenge the Lakers in what could prove to be a pivotal game for playoff seeding.  via SoleCollector

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Maybe he was satisfied with the NBA career record for made three-pointers or maybe he didn’t want to dethrone teammate and defending Foot Locker 3-Point Shootout champ Paul Pierce, but Ray Allen didn’t add a second title to the one he won back in 2001.  Even though Miami guard James Jones walked away with the crown, Boston’s gotta be happy two of their big three made it to the final round and Ray played the entire way in his typically smooth style.  That inclues the above pictured pair of Air Jordan Evolution 85 PEs, ironically enough the same sneaker Sugar Ray wore during the Celtics’ last game vs. Miami.  Click through to see more of Ray Allen’s three point contest shoes and stick with Sneaker News to see what he and the rest of Jordan Brand‘s contingent show off during the 2011 NBA All Star Game.

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However ironic it may be that a guy known for his shooting more than any other single attribute (other than perhaps diminutive stature) wasn’t in the Three-Point Shootout, it’s not a huge shock that Stephen Curry walked away with the 2011 Skills Challenge title.  Curry’s victory is among the most impressive in the event’s nine year history, as he was able to dispatch four other elite point guards including the guy who dropped 22 dimes en route to the Rookie Challenge MVP award *AND* both of the 2011 NBA All Star Game’s starting 1s.  The West’s PG Chris Paul was probably the favorite going in, and while he didn’t capture the crown, Paul played in style rocking this brand new Air Jordan CP3.IV PE.  Featuring the familiar Sunstone and Orion Blue accents to a black base, these CP3.IVs add patent leather on the tongue, toe and mudguard for a little extra All Star flare.  Click through to see more and let us know how these compare to Chris Paul’s Jordan Brand player exclusive sneakers for tonight’s ASG.

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“Firree!!! Fi-rreee!!!!”

Things have gotten a bit too hot in the Air Jordan 2011 test labs as a cool, calm, and collected Specialist H must put out a raging ball machine that has begun to spit out basketball engulfed in flames. Once Dwyane Wade gets the Air Jordan 2011 on his feet, his scoring touch gets scorching hot; just this past week, D-Wade put up 41 points in a win against the Indiana Pacers. Choosing Quick or Explosive in the Air Jordan 2011 will both result in untouchable performances so be sure to cop the Air Jordan 2011 this weekend and torch your opponents. Need a good laugh? Check out Specialist H after the jump.

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With the exception of the main event itself, the Slam Dunk Contest is without a doubt the most anticipated event during the NBA All-Star Weekend. We’ve seen some memorable showdowns in the past – Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Steve Francis putting on an amazing show in 2000, Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins redefining gravity in 1988, Nate Robinson defying the odds in three separate occasions – and 2011 was poised to be one for the history books with Blake Griffin, Demar Derozan, Serge Ibaka, and Javale McGee slated for slam dunk showcases. Each player rocked a pair of sweet sneakers to accompany the flashiness of their aerial assaults; Serge Ibaka of the Thunder wore the adidas adiPure in Sun Yellow and Demar Derozan sported a tonal-red colorway of the Zoom Kobe VI iD. Washington’s Javale McGee showed off a number of different Peak colorways, and eventual champion wore a red/black/translucent outsole colorway of the Nike Air Max Fly By. Check out a complete visual recap from the 2011 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest after the jump and stick with Sneaker News for a NBA Feet feature from the All-Star Game! via Yahoo!.

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To the surprise of not many, Blake Griffin won the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest earlier tonight, and pretty much had it all wrapped up before they even rolled out the choir and the KIA for good measure. What was a bit of a shock though, was that while final round competitor, Javale McGee, was breaking out a new shoe for every dunk, Blake remained in a red/black Nike Air Max Fly By throughout – not the Hyperdunk 2011 PE that he was expected to debut for the Slam Dunk festivities. Playing up the “10.0″ earthquake concept which ties into the perfect 10 dunk score, Nike had an eye-catching glow in the dark red/grey/black PE version of the still unreleased Hyperdunk 2011 all ready for Griffin to show off tonight, but for some reason, the shoes never saw the floor.

That didn’t stop Blake from taking home the trophy, but man, would these have looked nice on his feet doing it. They might not have had their spotlight during All-Star Saturday Night, but you can check out what could have been after the jump, and we’ll let you know if there’s any word why they went unworn in the contest. For now, let’s cross our fingers that maybe they find their way onto the court tomorrow night during the third and final leg of the 2011 NBA All-Star Blake Griffin Weekend.

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Jordan Brand took advantage of the post-recession fashion fallout by releasing the Air Jordan XI Retro ‘Cool Grey’ during the holiday season of a year that featured the ‘non-color’ in streetwear and sneaker design more than any other on record.  And while we’re starting to see signs of brighter (and higher-contrast) days to come, you still can’t argue that grey suede kicks are extremely versatile, and in the case of the Wolf Grey Air Jordan 5, downright beautiful.  These joints will hit select retailers on May 14th and are practically begging for a bright set of replacement laces.  Click through to see some new photos and let us know if you plan on copping the Wolf Grey AJV.  via MN

Style: 136027-005
Color: Light Graphite/White-Wolf Grey

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Everybody knows the cliché “April showers bring May flowers,” but how about April’s sneakers bringing along May’s releases?  That’s just what we’ve got here in this preview of the Nike SB Summer 2011 collection, a Q2 drop list that includes shoes we expect to see in April with a few that may spill over into the following month.  Let’s start with the Nike SB Dunk Pro, which comes in two high-contrast lowtop colorways and the ‘Raiders’ Dunk Mid SB we previewed a short while back.  The Zoom Stefan Janoski will debut in its midtop as well, but don’t forget about the OG lows, which look superb in the Teal/Abyss combo.  Last but not least is a brown V-Rod plus a ‘Mulder’-style Zoom Bruin SB, and you can see every one of these pairs in additional photos when you click on the jump below.  via MIA

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