Todd Bratrud has once again put his lighter up to a new Nike SB Dunk High collaboration, and the result is as smooth and satisfying as anything we’ve seen from Swoosh Skateboarding all year. The Skatepark of Tampa-connected Dunk High SB ‘Cigar’ takes its inspiration from the Ybor City section of town famous for its production of fine tobacco products, though we can’t help but wonder if anything quite as nice as this specially-packaged pair of SB Dunks was ever created there. The suede on these is just top-notch, and paired with a dope tobacco-textured side panel to finish off the deluxe feel. These are sure to fly off shelves wherever they’re stocked, so be prepared when they hit Nike SB retailers like Michigan’s Premier starting tomorrow at noon local time.
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The well-respected and oft-poignant sneaker aggregate known as Crooked Tongues has teamed up with suede-and-mesh masters New Balance for a sick duet of New Balance M1500s. Going against the grain of typicall sneaker teasers and previews, Crooked Tongues has decided to show the entire shoe – in deconstructed form. Two colorways of the Crooked Tongues x New Balance M1500 will drop in mid-October – an Orange/Black/Grey variety and a Moss Green/Hunter green join; although we a get a complete look at a colorway on a sneaker model we are all familiar with, somehow the tension and anticipation mounts up. Check out both colorways below and stick with Sneaker News for more information as it develops.
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Michael Jordan’s passions outside of the game of the basketball are reflected in each and every Air Jordan design. For example, the Air Jordan XVII was designed after Michael’s passion for jazz music, as seen on the musical notes used to inspire the design on the upper, and golf, which can be seen on the outsole traction of the sneaker, which mirrors a golf course. Golf has been one of Michael’s favorite recreational hobbies after he officially retired from the NBA, and he certainly goes through holes one through eighteen in style, with this custom Air Jordan golf bag that features his six NBA Championships rings stitched proudly on the side. We also have a look at another custom golf bag, which features Air Jordans all around. Definitely one of the cooler bits of Air Jordan goodies, so take a look below and let us know what you think. via TerezOwens.
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Sneaker Pimps just concluded tour stops in Atlanta and Miami, and are already on the move to the next US metropolis for another dope sneaker-centric meetup. Sneaker Pimps Chicago is sponsored in part by Sneaker News and will open its doors at the House of Blues in Chi-town this Friday, September 23rd with two of Brooklyn’s finest MCs, Mos Def and Talib Kweli providing the soundtrack to your buy/sell/trades. SP has a knack for securing big name hip-hop acts for their events; how does Black Star stack up against some of the other recent performers like Raekwon/Ghostface and (The) Game? Let us know what you think and if you plan to attend and stick with Sneaker News for event recaps from around the world.
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Starting in late July, Sneaker News was stuffed to the gills with news of new fragment design collaborations with Nike Sportswear for something like six weeks, and now after a short cooldown period, the hype is starting to manifest in some clean new kicks at retail. Check out the new fragment design x Nike Tennis Classic Velcro in three white leather colorups that illustrate Hiroshi Fujiwara’s tendency to be a few steps ahead of the pack. These three are distinguished by the accent color hits on their heels and have just dropped in Japan, so click through to see more images and stick with Sneaker News for updates regarding US availability. via Houyhnhnm
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Nike’s Lunar foam cushioning platform debuted during the huge Olympic push of 2008 alongside Flywire on the original Zoom Hyperdunk, but it’s taken three generations to get LunarLon just right to stand alone as the sole, well, sole stuff, for one of Nike Basketball’s performance releases. And there’s no Flywire on these, but a super-breathable featherweight Hyperfuse upper means the Nike Lunar HyperGamer will be able to compete with the Swoosh’s top two non-signature series. Here’s a look at the Lunar HyperGamer in four new colorways, a set that’s done half in Oklahoma City Thunder colorways, perhaps foreshadowing sneaker journeyman Russell Westbrook’s adoption of the model when the NBA season finally begins. There’s also one you’d call out for being a Sacramento Kings colorup along with one classic ‘Blackout’ look, so click through to see ‘em all, let us know how they rank and stick with Sneaker News for the US release dates. via Kenlu
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In business, just like the sports world, sometimes a shake up in management can be just the right catalyst to push a team further towards the promised land. While Gentry Humphrey’s run at Jordan Brand has brought us some bold initiatives and unforgettable sneaker releases, everything comes to an end and it was recently announced that he would be leaving Jordan to take on a juicy new role across campus with Nike. Sneakerhead critics of the coarser breed have been discussing this for years, complaining of uninspired design and overdependence upon the past as reasons Jordan Brand might need a new man at the helm. But just as the president of the United States can’t just wave a magic wand to fix the economy, Gentry Humphrey leaving his role as head Jumpman isn’t going to instantly transform Jordan Brand into some kind of utopian fantasy where everybody’s wishes are catered to individually – but it just might mean some big things for Nike Sportswear.
Humphrey had been working with Jordan since the brand was spun off from Nike Basketball in the late ’90s and now finds himself working with Nike Sportswear as the Product Creation Lead for Basketball and Football. He’ll be leading NSW’s push to outfit the off-court/field activities for those sports’ cultures and promises to “introduce a few things that people will say ‘Damn…’!” Let us know what you think about the move and Gentry’s tenure atop Jordan Brand, and be sure to stick with Sneaker News for all kinds of upcoming developments, because Humphrey says we’re going to see quite a bit from the Air Force 1 approaching its 30th anniversary! Get over to TSG for a full interview with Gentry Humphrey explaining all this and more.
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Compton, CA native and hip-hop up-and-comer Kendrick Lamar was recently spotted at Club Nikki in Las Vegas, performing live in front of crowd this past Friday night. Kendrick’s name is one you should be hearing a lot in the near future, as his recently released album Section.80 has been widely acclaimed by critics and peers. During his performance, Lamar wore the Air Jordan 1 Retro in the original Black/Red colorway. Are these the ‘Banned’ AJ1s that dropped earlier this year? The Jumpman label on the tongue says they are indeed not, but still a sick pair of kicks nonetheless. Check out Lamar’s kicks after the jump and stick with Sneaker News for more Celebrity Feet coverage! via spyonvegas.
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