Had this summer’s ‘Plum’ redux on the Nike SB Dunk High been tagged with an ‘Un-’ prefix, would that make these the Un-un-Plums?  Sorta sounds like a song lyric, and the above pictured Dunk High SB is indeed a sweet little ditty, a Deep Burgundy suede overlay riding a mauve leather base and white midsole sandwiched between black on the Swooshes and outsole.  These stand out compared to some of the other Dunk High SBs slated for 2012 with their lack of tumbling or other ‘extra’ textures, but are indeed in line with Swoosh Skateboarding’s general push toward a baseline of simple yet satisfying, and above all, easily wearable colorways.  Click through for a closer look at these and stick with Sneaker News for updates on these and all Nike SB Dunk release dates.  via Dunkbar

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Chicago’s Neal F. Simeon Vocational High School was renamed the Simeon Career Academy, and at least one of its alumni proves that the motto ‘Home of Tomorrow’s Leaders’ is something they take seriously.  Three-time state champions in basketball in under 60 years of enrollment, the Simeon Wolverines captured their most recent Illinois crown in 2007 when senior guard Derrick Rose played so phenomenally so as to have his jersey retired as the first one since the school’s gym opened some 25 years ago.  And it was that kind of inspired play that made D.Rose’s trip to the NBA via Memphis such a steady upward climb, so only natural that we’d see Simeon shouted out in a new adidas adiZero Rose 2 colorway.  The adiZero Rose 2 ‘Wolverine’ goes for a looser interpretation of the team’s Michigan-like palette than the pair of their prequels Derrick wore in the most recent NBA All-Star game; will energetic designs like this one help Three Stripes keep pace with Nike Basketball’s ever impressive output?  Look over the adiRose 2 ‘Wolverine’ in greater detail after the jump and look for these at Foot Locker starting December 1st.

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When it comes to white tumbled leather Air Jordan X releases next year, will you go for the ‘Chicago’ Retros or maybe the new ‘Old Royal’ edition?  If you happen to wear the right sizes, this turns out to be something of a false delimma, as there’s another brand new edition on the way in GS sizes.  This new Air Jordan 10 GS takes on a look we might expect from the Los Angeles Lakers on a future alternate jersey, the neon and purple accent hits placing these an orange laceswap away from a ‘Dia de los Muertos’.  Some have noted that they’re similar to the 2005 ladies release featuring Medium Violet hits; which pair looks better in your eyes?  Click through so you can see more of this upcoming edition and stick with Sneaker News for the US release date.  via Soleland

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Those brave sneakerheads who’ve made it their mission to mix in a little of Jeremy Scott’s crazy style into their wardrobe will know that pulling off such ostentatious kicks requires an absolute belief in oneself.  It’s the kind of focused commitment that one might describe as ‘All-In’, this new J.Scott Originals by Originals release with the same nickname as Three Stripes most recent marketing campaign just crazy enough to be the litmus test to see if you really are ‘based’.  The 2NE1 x Jeremy Scott x adidas Originals JS Wings goes in the complete opposite direction of the white 2.0s we showed you a short while ago, this patchwork of CMYK leather made even more eye-catching thanks to a spotted horesehair underlay that’ll appear as somewhere between a dalmation and a Holstein cow, depending on your vantagepoint.  Click through to see this utterly wild JS Wings release and grab yours from select adidas Originals retailers like asphaltgold.

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Throughout his time in the spotlight, Nike SB team rider Paul Rodriguez has always professed a deep appreciation for Michael Jordan. We’ve seen his shoes pay homage to Michael in several ways, and while this blackout colorway for the Nike SB P-Rod V Mid may just seem like par for the course, it’s hard not to make the ‘Black Cat’ comparison. That’s not to say that the sneaker doesn’t stand on it’s own, with the premium construction looking elegant on this Lunar equipped skate shoe. The smoky suede of the ankle package and the swoosh bring the tiniest amount of a tonal look, showing up a bit lighter than the rest of the uppers. Get the full look at the Nike SB P-Rod V Mid premium ‘Blackout’ after the jump. As always, the team at Caliroots has pairs on deck as we speak.

Nike SB P-Rod V Mid
Black/Black
477381-001

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We already gave you a heads up on the ‘home’ look for the Nike Air Max Sweep Thru, and we’re sure plenty of eager readers have been waiting since then to see if they would drop an ‘away’ counterpart as well. Ask and ye shall receive, as Amar’e Stoudemire’s new signature shoe once again wears the Knicks uniform, with a pseudo-psychedelic look coming on the swirling blue and orange combo on the crossing midfoot straps. This time around the sneaker is a much darker affair, with black suede as the base for the upper. Let us know in the comments which is your favorite among the ever increasing line up of colorways for the Nike Air Max Sweep Thru and be sure to pick these up now at Eastbay.

Nike Air Max Sweep Thru
Black/Team Orange

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Arguably the greatest coach of all time leading a team rocking arguably this era’s most significant signature sneaker series?  Even if the landscape of college basketball has leveled because of trends like one-and-dones, it’s still not exactly fair when you’re going up against a team with all the advantages of a Duke University.  The Blue Devils are among the nation’s most polarizing teams because of their unrelentingly consistent success, and they’ll look to regain what they lost last year while wearing, among other models, this Nike LeBron 8 V/2 Low PE as shown off by sophomore point guard Tyler Thornton.  They look to be idencial to the pair 11-game alum Kyrie Irving showed off at Chris Paul’s charity game early last month; should we take this as a sign that the a Kobe-for-LeBron trade is in the works and Duke will update their look like schools such as Kentucky, Miami and Ohio State?  Be sure to stick with Sneaker News for all the latest NCAA basketball sneaker stories in this NBA-less winter, and let us know how you think this Duke LeBron 8 V2 Low compares to the others we’ve seen in recent weeks.

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Complex.com’s lists have given us an insight into how celebrities and other noteworthy sneakerheads view the scene and its history, but what happens when you ask a guy known for being among the thriftiest serious hobbyists for his best-of list?  Andy Oliver’s Top 25 Sneakers of All Time doesn’t bear any tell-tale signs that this is a guy whose claim to fame is bargain hunting, but you do indeed pick up on the kind of experience and passion that’d lead him to establishing KicksDeals.com.  And though it’s not laugh-out-loud funny, there’s a certain undeniable irony in the fact that most if not all of the kicks on this list would run you significantly more than their original MSRP, much less be available for the kind of deal Andy’s known to hunt.  Check out a smattering of what’s in store after the jump, then head over to Complex for the entire feature.

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Even though these two giants of the league may not have anything in particular to practice for, that doesn’t mean that LeBron James or Kevin Durant are taking any days off. Part two in the Striving for Greatness series goes further into the demanding training regimen that these guys go through, following them as they hit the court for a day at the University of Akron. LeBron takes it back a couple years, wearing the Kentucky Wildcats Nike Air Max LeBron VII and Durant shows up in the forthcoming Nike Zoom KD IV, with the sweet sounds of Watch the Throne blasting all the while. Get the full video after the jump and stick with us for more updates on the Striving for Greatness campaign.

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Black Friday has long been the biggest shopping day of the year, with frenzied crowds coming out in droves to take advantage of the great deals. It will be especially chaotic for sneakerheads this year given all the heat that is dropping right around Thanksgiving time. Looks like we’ve got another one to add to the list, the black colorway of the Nike Air Huarache Free 2012 Basketball. This hybrid sneaker pieces together two great Nike technologies from differing eras – pairing up the form fitting neoprene booty of the Huarache with the flex-groove outsole of the Frees. Different sport specific models will be available, but it looks like the basketball ones will drop first, with 21 Mercer teasing this photo and billing it as a Black Friday exclusive. Let us know if they are on your radar for next week and stay tuned for word of these hitting anywhere else.

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Some have argued that the greatest contribution from the Star Wars x adidas Originals capsule is that the designs are so good, they make the Saga’s symbols relevant even to those who aren’t card carrying sci-fi fans.  The same can be said of this new Nike SB Dunk High, though this Tauntaun-inspired colorwayclearly goes about things less directly.  Instead of familiar faces and insignias, we get a sick combination of tonal grey suede with varying degrees of nappiness that comes together even with an even colder look than the creature’s home on Hoth.  Designer Shawn Baravetto hit the target dead on with this one, though they appeared markedly bluer in the initial preview images which also featured a twill material for the Swoosh and overlay.  Would you have preferred the sample style or will you be hitting up your local Nike SB retailer to get in on the neutral goodness? US and Euro skate shops are seillng their Quickstrike shipments as you read this, but perhaps an in-store only policy like the one at the UK’s Scene makes it more enticing to buy them now on eBay.

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What would compel a basketball geek to compare Goran Dragic and Mickael Pietrus, other than in discussion of their brief tenure together as Phoenix Suns?  Aside from the sheer nerdy joy of namechecking two of the NBA’s lesser known European stars, one might see Dragic’s 2010 playoff performance to Pietrus’ campaign the year prior in that both guards stepped up to contribute significantly to their team’s upset victory, only to be stopped short of glory by Kobe Bryant’s back-to-back championships.  But one thing Pietrus has that Dragic can’t claim, aside from a PHX zipcode, is a history with Jordan Brand; one that, though short, resulted in a couple memorable player exclusive Jays.

During the 2007 postseason where Pietrus’ Golden State Warriors had everybody believing Dirk Nowitzki might never get it done, MP rocked these Air Jordan V exclusives that look one heckuva lot like Ray Allen’s Sonics ‘Away’ edition.  Unlike Ray, though, who continues to break records and defy father time while racking up more and more PEs, Pietrus has long since departed the Jumpman in favor of Chinese brand Peak.  Could that possibly mean that the rarity of these sneakers means they’re worth more than the equivalent ‘Sugar’ Ray edition?  Perhaps the signature on this game-worn edition puts things in a new perspective, but does it mean you’d bid on these if they popped up on eBay?  Unfortunately for those who answered ‘yes’, these are a look-but-don’t-touch, so click through and let us know what you think about some of these more obscure Air Jordan PEs.  via Phase2

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