One of the more curious releases from Jordan Brand is the Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’ edition – a playful rehashing of the original Air Jordan 1 that caused controversy in the NBA and in the world of sneakers. What makes this release all the more strange is that these were first dropped at Nike Factory Stores before any word of a general release, which, based on the funky timeline, is likely to not happen. Remember that the first Air Jordan 1 ‘Banned’ sample was previewed on Sneaker News nearly a year ago featured a black ‘X’ over all the logos, so it’s possible that the ones you see here – the version that mysteriously popped out at Nike outlet stores – was in fact the version set for a general release. In the end, it’s no surprise that these stirred up some controversy again, and thanks to Osneaker, we get yet another look at the Banned 1s. If you haven’t picked up a pair just yet or won’t be near a Nike outlet (they’re scheduled to hit again), cop a pair now on eBay.
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The Nike Hyperdunk 2010 was unveiled in grand fashion during last year’s World Basketball Festival, a joint effort among Nike, Jordan Brand, and Converse Basketball that celebrated the global reach of the game of basketball. After the immense success of the original Nike Hyperdunk, there were big expectations for the sequel to what many call one of the best basketball shoes ever created, and although the Hyperdunk 2010 was a worthy successor, it didn’t garner the ‘hype’ like the original, largely because the shoe wasn’t exactly tied to a specific player. For example, the OG Hyperdunk was considered Kobe Bryant’s unofficial signature shoe, as we saw him jump over a speeding Aston Martin while wearing the shoe. For the Hyperdunk 2011, Nike has appointed budding superstar Blake Griffin as the unofficial spokesperson, and if he continues the never-ending highlight reel from this past season, we expect the Hyperdunk 2011 to garner as much attention as the Clippers star. Check out the images of this new TB colorway of black, red, and white below (with a great close-up look at the details) and let us know which Hyperdunk design you like best. via ULT.
Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011 TB
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From the Valentine’s Day ‘Amor’ edition to the recent collaboration with Liberty of London, 2011 has been a strong year for womens’ Nike Air Force 1 Lows. Look for that to continue with this trio of new colorways that all share a simple yet downright satisfying construction. Each of these three new Air Force 1 for ladies comes with a white leather upper that’s accented by patent leather on the Swooshes and heel tabs. That same shade carries over to the tongue tag and translucent sole for a crisp template that looks great with Solar Red, High Voltage or Bold Berry, and you can see more images of all three after the jump. via Step
Nike WMNS Air Force 1 ’07
White/Solar Red-White
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White/High Voltage-White
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White/Bold Berry-White
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With Eric Koston’s first Nike SB signature sneaker and the crazy Kobe Bryant collabo are getting a ton of attention at the moment, you may have forgotten about the other Swoosh skateboarding shoe to which Koston was attached. But just look back in the history books (or read through the Sneaker News archives) and you’ll find that Koston was the man of the hour when the “Technical without all the bells and whistles,” Nike SB Zoom FP hit retailers late last year. Most of the colorways since then have been dark but here’s a new Future Primitive that looks dope in a mix of white and gold with a stripe on the forefoot midsole to suggest gum rubber. Another great white summer sneaker alternative, you can find these at select Nike SB retailers like Goods.
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Whenever Jordan Brand re-releases an Air Jordan, we tend to think back at the original release and the horizon of the sneaker game during the time of the debut. The Air Jordan VI opened its eyes to the world twenty years ago, when Michael captured his first NBA Championship – a defining moment of his career. One of the original colorways of the Air Jordan VI was this White/Blue colorway (the Sport vs. September debate still going strong), which featured a basic tonal-white upper with a blue midsole, offering a different take on the typical Black/Red and White/Red versions of Air Jordans. Since its original release, we’ve yet to see the ‘Sport Blue’ make a return, although one sneaker customizer did re-paint his White/Varsity Red pair to make his own version of the original. These are likely not to release for while, considering the AJ6 made a healthy return just one year ago, so check out the images of this OG pair of the Sport Blue VI below and check out the auction from seoul1014 on eBay.
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Did you pick up one of the first set of Air Jordan stickers we showed you here on Sneaker News in April? That collection covered the first five years of the Air Jordan Legacy and now another quintet is on the way. This lineup starts with the ascension of Michael Jordan’s championship run and continues through his first retirement, bringing together the original ‘home’ colorways for Air Jordans VI-X. One thing to notice is that this latest set doesn’t feature a Kicks-Crew tag, which seemed to somewhat of a complaint from the first batch. They’re perfect for laptops, cellphones and any other flat surface you can legally tag and are available now at Kicks-crew.
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Maybe Ronnie Fieg should shift the letters around in his last name and call himself ‘Fire’, because that’s what he creates every single time he collaborates with Asics. Following in the super-premium footsteps of models like the ‘Super Red’ and ‘The Cove’ Gel Lyte IIIs, Fieg is trying another classic model, the Ronnie Fieg x Asics GT-II ‘Ultra Marine’. Crafted in a lush blue pigskin suede, these GTIIs add aqua stripes to their side panels almost like waves atop the ocean surface, a can’t-miss look for summer that’ll be available in sizes 5-13 starting this Friday, June 3rd at DavidZ’s New York flagship as well as their online store. Click through to see some more images, let us know how these compare to the other Ronnie Fieg collaborations we’ve shown you here on Sneaker News and stick with us for the latest developments and release dates.
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Wow, what a nice pair. Playboy is dipping into the sneaker game by creating its own list of the top 23 Air Jordans of all time, (with the help from Matt Halfhill of Nice Kicks) and many of you were most certainly excited after seeing the preview video not long ago. Unfortunately, seeing the list in its entirety (fully unlaced, if you get our drift) will cost you $5, but Sneaker News has a nice preview of what to expect. Many of the inclusions in this best-of list are the usual suspects – earlier Air Jordans, the Air Jordan XI ‘Concord’ (the winner of the Sneaker News March Madness OG Air Jordan tournament), and many more, so check out the beautiful sneakers and the equally stunning models below (along with a ‘SFW’ preview video), and head to Playboy if you’ve got some spare time and an extra $5 laying around.
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