Luck was definitely on our side the past couple of nights because we got a look at some great sneakers around the league. Starting off with last night’s games, the New York Knicks had more than luck (try a team record 20 3-pointers) as they took down the Grizzlies in fashion. Carmelo Anthony wore the Jordan Melo M7 St. Patrick’s Day PE while teammate Ronny Turiaf wore the Zoom Kobe VI ‘Rice’ and Amare Stoudemire wore a green/orange PE of the Zoom Huarache TR Mid. Other notables included Derrick Rose’s adidas adiRose 1.5 in green/white, plenty of Nike iDs in the form of Zoom Huarache 2k4s and Zoom Uptempo V. However, amidst all the St. Patty’s Day PEs and personalized iD colorways, Jordan Retros always garner the most attention, like Courtney Lee’s Air Jordan III White/Cement, Gilbert Arenas’ Air Jordan V Black/University Blue, Ray Allen’s Premio IX, and Juwan Howard’s Fire Red AJV. Check out the rest of the NBA action after the jump and let us know who rocked the best kicks! via ESPN.

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Updated July 7th, 2011 with first look photos.

By his ninth shoe, Michael Jordan was retired with three NBA titles. It’s a different story for LeBron, who is still looking for ‘chip numero uno, but that’s not saying that he hasn’t gotten close. After a trip to the Finals in 2007 and now joining forces with two superstar players, LeBron James could be celebrating multiple rings at the end of his career with a long legacy of Nike kicks. We’re just about to approach the release of the Nike LeBron 8 P.S., but here’s some preliminary information on what to expect for the LeBron’s ninth signature shoe; the upper will be fashioned with Hyperfuse technology, first generation Flywire, and a supportive midfoot wing.

The midsole will stick to the LeBron 8 P.S. guns as the Nike LeBron 9 will shed a full-length Air unit and go 180-degree on the heel with Zoom at the forefoot. The outsole traction will again be designed with LeBron’s personal storyline at heart. You can expect three basic colorways to start off the LeBron 9 festivities – a customary ‘Home’ White/Sport Red, a Black/White rendition, and the annual ‘Blackout’ colorway. Keeping in mind that the silhouette above is simply an unofficial approximation, what are your expectations of the LeBron 9? Let us know below.

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One the most highly anticipated retro releases over the last decade is the Nike Air Trainer SC II. The Trainer SC II was one of Nike’s most popular shoes of the early 90′s thanks to its unique design, aggressive midsole design, visible Air, and perhaps the most unique feature of the shoe, the removable strap. The Air Trainer SC II returns this summer in three colorways; the Black/Varsity Red will become available on April 7th, followed by White/Dark Grey-Neutral Grey-Citron and White/Chlorine Blue-Dark Grey on May 1st. All three will be priced at $110 and will be sold at Nike retailers nationwide. Continue reading for detailed images of these three upcoming colorways and let us know which of the three you like best.

Style: 443575-001
Color: Black/Black-Varsity Red
Release Date: April 7th, 2011

Style: 443575-102
Color: White/Dark Grey-Neutral Grey-Citron
Release Date: May 1st, 2011

Style: 443575-100
Color: White/Chlorine Blue-Dark Grey
Release Date: May 1st, 2011

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Sneaker News brought you new photos and release info for the Nike LeBron 8 P.S. in what figures to be LeBron James’ home colorway for the 2011 NBA Playoffs yesterday, and today we have a similar update on the colorway that figures to be the most popular for LeBron’s 2011 playoff sneakers.  The LeBron 8 PS ‘Dunkman’ takes the annual ‘superhero’ look in a brighter direction thanks to the Fuse-equipped metallic Cool Grey upper, a look that’s just in time for summer with a Friday, May 13th release date ensuring plenty of kids cutting class late in the school year.  Click through to get a better look at the Dunkman LeBron 8 PS and stick with Sneaker News; we’ll keep you posted if we find them available early.  via Taobao

Style: 441946-002
Color: Cool Grey/White-Electric Green

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LeBron James and pretty much every basketball player since His Airness has been following after the lofty example set by Michael Jordan but here’s something of a role reversal, Jordan Brand following a trend set by King James.  After seeing the success of the LeBron VII and its PS variant, which led to three different versions of the Nike LeBron 8 this year, we now have the first in-season alternate Air Jordan flagship model, the Air Jordan 2011 Version 2.  Pictured above is the AJ2011 Version 2 POP, a Playoff Pack colorway designed for LeBron’s Miami Heat teammate Dwayne Wade as clearly indicated by the Agent D3 oriented tongue tags.  These joints look to offer some of the same advantages as the LeBron 8 PS including a high-tech synthetic vamp and the inclusion of visible Air cushioning that’s a first in the Air Jordan Legacy since 1991′s AJ6!  Click through to get a better look at Dwyane Wade’s playoff Jordans, leave a comment to let us know what you think and stick with Sneaker News for word on the US release date.  They’re very likely to hit retail soon with the NBA Playoffs set to start in late April and Marquee Sole has a couple sizes available to ship right now.

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Nike Sportswear dropped a Blazer Mid in Deep Burgundy denim this February, and here’s a similar new model that prove sometimes it’s best to stagger the release on informal ‘packs’.  This new Nike WMNS Blazer Low features the same denim-on-denim, white-on-color motif as the aforementioned burgundy joints, but instead of a shade that balanced rich wintery tones with that month’s main holiday, this new seafoam green edition serves as a harbinger of lazy days spent on the beach.  Click through to get a better view of this upcoming Blazer Low for women and pre-order yours today from CrookedTongues; they’ll have ‘em to you by the end of the month.

Style: 371759-302

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Proof that the genius of the ‘Persian Violet’ Nike Air Classic BW lies not just in its classic colorway but also in the impeccable colorblocking is this new release from Nike Sportswear.  The latest Big Window retro release features that same high-contrast black and white base but instead of the signature purple shade, these go with the Mineral Blue color that’s popped up on a few notable Jordan Brand kicks in recent months.  It’s a nice jolt of energy just in time for shorts season and you can grab a pair right now from Titolo; they should hit US NSW retailers shortly.

Style: 358797-009
Color: Black/Mineral Blue

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In late February Sneaker News showed you two upcoming colorways of the mega-hybrid Nike Air Max JR – a conglomerate of old styles and new technology mashed into one all new sneaker. The Air Max JR is a clear representation of the Air Griffey Max 1, revamped with a full-length 360-degree Air Unit with a Torch-lined upper, and already sneakerheads have expressed their excitement at this upcoming hybrid release. Dropping in April 2011 is the Black/Varsity Red colorway that we previewed earlier; it features a black upper with a tonal red Max Air unit, a red inner lining (visible through the Torch panels), and a red swoosh at the toe. Again, expect these at retailers this April, so take a look at an actual sample pair below and let us know what you think. via sneakerdave.

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During the first week of January, Sneaker News filled you in on an upcoming Nike Basketball ‘Highlighter Pack’, a set of four shoes featuring neon ‘highlighter’ colors releasing exclusively at House of Hoops. While a release has yet to be confirmed, readers were excited at the dazzling colorways, with the Air Max Penny 1 taking front and center stage. Here’s another look at the Black/Electric Green Air Max Penny 1; it features a jet black upper with a vibrant electric green placed acutely on the piping, outsole, swoosh, and inner lining. Infusion of this bright neon colorway certainly adds a punch to the Air Max Penny 1, not that it needed a boost anyway. Kixclusive has one lone pair available so take a look at the extra shot after the jump and stick with Sneaker News for more info regarding the House of Hoops exclusive Highlighter Pack.

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The adidas Fortitude Mid was selected by the Sneaker News staff as one of the thirty best sneakers of 2010. The sweet design combined with dope colorways and never-fail materials was proof that adidas has quite a bit of bite left in ‘em. These two new military-inspired renditions of the adidas Fortitude Mid only accentuates the rugged styling of the Fortitude; constructed of suede and ripstop nylon with camouflage-like graphic prints on the ankle collar with bronzed D-ring lace eyelets and accents, the adidas Fortitude Mid Camo Pack does a superb job maximizing the potential of the shoe. The tongue also sheds the oversized tre-foil logo in favor of a military-grade label that categorizes the shoe accordingly. Check out both olive drab and blue colorways below and hit up select adidas retailers like CNCPTS to get yours.

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Nike has the Blazer, with Converse it’s the Star Player and when adidas Originals wants to rep their 1970s basketball aesthetic, they look down low to this hightopped classic.  The adidas Center is back in a new colorway whose brown suede upper seems fitting for the model’s vintage, and when paired with white accents these figure to compliment a wide variety of springtime fits.  Something like the soil from which a great fit can grow, these new Centers are subject to a sick deal where you can get 40% off the less expensive if you buy two pairs of adidas kicks from SneakersNStuff.

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What would happen if Nike Sportswear made an AC-version of the Big Nike High, complete with deconstructed build and an extra dose of attitude?  It’d probably look something like the Supra Cuttler, a sleek hightop that occupies the space where the skateboarding and lifestyle sneaker venn diagram converges.  This latest Cuttler colorway first popped up in our preview of Supra’s ‘Black and White’ pack around the turn of the year, but the ‘Navajo’ nickname fits its angular high-contrast pattern a bit better even if that’s an accurate description of the palette.  Joining this new Cuttler is a pair of what can be seen as its lowtop counterpart, the Assault, plus the skate-oriented Skytop II.   Click through to get a better look and grab ‘Navajo’ Cuttler and Assaults today from Bows & Arrows Berkeley, who’ll have the Skytop II shortly.

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