The Chicago Bulls colors are more strongly associated with the Air Jordan Legacy than any others, but depending on who you ask, it’s the North Carolina Tar Heels-inspired editions that take the visual cake. UNC PEs mean white and Carolina Blue, but Jordan Brand isn’t the only company collaborating on the history of Tobacco Road. In fact, Michael himself wore Converse while playing in Chapel Hill, a visual that’s nearly as ironic as a slim and trim twenty-something George Karl rocking chucks with belted short-shorts. Click through to see some Converses, Nikes and Jordans the University of North Carolina has donned over their illustrious basketball history and head over to Complex to see if you agree with their rankings.
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Few boutiques on the European sneaker scene command the same level of respect as Solebox. This Berlin based sneaker spot has long been the source of killer collaborations and by the looks of the teaser we’ve got here, a project with Asics is in the works. On the left we’ve got an Asics Gel Lyte III, the red hot model that just keeps gaining momentum thanks to high profile releases from the likes of Ronnie Fieg. On the right appears to the Asics Gel Saga II, a lesser known silhouette that saw a re-release in OG form this year and has also been scooped up by Patta for an upcoming release. Stick with us for more news on the Solebox x Asics project and let us know if you’re feeling this first look.
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Nearly a decade and a half after the ‘Last Shot’, Michael Jordan remains the measuring stick against which all basketball greatness is compared. And if anyone knows about being compared to His Airness, it’s Kobe Bryant, a guy whose GOAT resume we might have been examining during this entire lockout, had an unexpectedly early playoff exit not led the experts at ESPN to rank him as the 7th best active player. And while the league is indeed stocked, perhaps like never before, few can hold a candle to the Black Mamba’s thirteen consecutive All-Star appearances.
The latter half of this run marked by Kobe’s move from adidas to Nike was bookended by an Air Jordan III and the Nike Zoom Kobe VI ‘All-Star’, and now sneaker customizer Eric Lowry has come through with a design that blends the two. It’d be far too difficult to integrate Elephant print into the ZK6′s TPU snake-scaled uppers, so the more obvious route is to apply the Bred snake look to an AJIII as Lowry did on the ‘blank’ canvas afforded by the ‘Pure $’ pair released in all white. Check them out in more images after the jump and let us know how the latest El Cappy Customz compare to their own and the best from the rest of the world of custom sneakers. via PaintorThread
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If the ‘South Beach’ LeBron 8s were so popular because of the storylines leading into the release of the Nike LeBron series’ most exuberant colorway to date, does that mean the Nike Sportswear lifestyle sneaker King James wore during ‘The Decision’ earn a similar gravity? Well the Nike Toki has already managed to stave off rumors of its demise and it remains NSW’s premier casual design, and now you’ll have a chance to create a pair exactly as you see them in your imagination. Will you go with a brown upper like LeBron, perhaps with a leather-wrapped midsole? Or maybe you’ll go for the traditional white vulc bottoms and add a bit of flavor via independently-colored eyelets? The choice will be yours when the Toki hits NIKEiD on November 22nd, and you can see a quintet of sample designs when you click on the jump below.
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Nike SB’s 2011 footwear has proven the value in revisiting some of the brand’s beloved classic colorways, but who’s to say that kind of remixing doesn’t work equally well with concepts as it does colorblocking? The Nike SB Dunk Mid Pro ‘Patagonia’ comes through as one of the first of these such updates that seems a bit stronger than its predecessor, a 2009 Dunk Low SB that flew under the radar compared to some of that year’s more memorable releases. This time around, details like metal eyelets along with a spot-on outdoor colorway make for a more obvious reference, even if the Lows were modeled after Patagonia’s long-enduring tag/logo. Click through so you can see more, let us know how these stack up against the Patagonia Lows and look for these at Swoosh skateboarding shops like Premier.
Nike SB Dunk Mid
Noble Green/Metallic Gold-Dark Oak
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One of the worst crimes perpetrated by those responsible for the NBA lockout is our inability to see if John Wall can come through like another one-and-done star from a Calipari-coached white and blue-wearing university in the Mid-Atlantic. Without a full regular season, it seems even less likely that Wall could beat Derrick Rose’s insane three-year ROY-to-MVP career path, but that won’t stop the progression of his RBK signature series. The Reebok Zig Encore ‘Beyond the Gold’ can be seen as a follow-up to last year’s lockbox’d special edition ‘Gold Rush’ Zig Slashes, and judging by the matte black briefcases, these Zig Encores bring along with them the promise of a new JW3 logo. Now if we could only get them on court at the Verizon Center . . . but even if the NBA’s nuclear winter temporarily extinctifies pro basketballers in the USA, these should arrive on time as a limited release next month. Check them out in more images after the jump and stick with Sneaker News for the Zig Encore ‘Beyond the Gold’ release date. via HorsemanNumber3
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After Converse wrapped up its 1Hund(RED) Artist collaboration a couple years back, its PRODUCT drops have trickled to a stop, leaving another Nike, Inc. branch to step in with a few AIDS research-benefiting designs of their own. Coming from Nike Sportswear’s All Conditions Gear division comes this brand new PRODUCT(RED) x Nike ACG Zoom Meriwether boot, a design notably different from the majority of releases to this point for its use of a smooth leather upper rather than suede. This buttery smooth black base works great with red laces and a white midsole, and that combo perfectly matches the NSW Melton Destroyer peacoat and NSW Cheyenne Backpack. Expect these at the most exclusive Nike Sportswear stockists starting December 1st, and click through to see the entire collection in the meantime.
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The Nike Air Max 95 was a curious omission from Nike Sportswear’s VacTech collection this fall, especially considering its ‘muscle fibers’ design is already somewhat molded and would likely easily transition to vacuum construction. But that’s not to say that the sixteen year veteran won’t be showing off a few design variations of its own soon, like the Hyperfuse-d Air Max 95 360 and this other new version above. The Air Max 95 No-Sew is similar to the 360 edition for its lack of traditional stitching, but much more like the OG AM95 with its overall appearance. The Varsity Maize edition above appears a bit oranger than you can expect once these hit retail next year, but luckily, there was indeed a V-Maize 95 released just a couple months ago, so they’d make a suitable comparison. Look more closely at these Air Max 95 No-Sews after the jump and stick with Sneaker News for updates on these and all the 2012 Air Max retro release dates. via Dino410
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