Aside from the obvious (in some cases unavoidable) similarities in design that all basketball shoes are bound to share, adidas does a good job of pretty much never appearing to bite Nike’s steez, or anyone else’s for that matter.  Their bold use of Three Stripes on the side panels in recent years has been bolstered by dudes who can back it up like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. 

Count Tim-may amongst the group of adi-sponsored ballers who rocked a crazy Halloween edition of the adidas TS Commander this past weekend.  Much like the Nike Blazer released with lenticular holigram tarsals, these take the white-on-black stripe motif to its logical extreme, revealing white ‘bones’ beneath the black upper.  Peep Duncan’s Commanders with the X-Ray look, along with up-and-coming adidas NBA guys like Deshawn Stephensen (not giving up a game winner, for once), Aaron Afflalo and Brooke Lopez after the jump.  via Kenlu

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Global fame can bring all kinds of riches.  From special editions to collaborations and some that owe their own place in streetwear to celebrity fans, we see all kinds of celebrity sneaker trends.  In this edition, peep what Method Man’s boy RZA is reppin on his ‘W’-emblazoned rug.  The way the offwhite shag carpeting drapes into the tighter-cut logo in the middle is pretty amazing, but don’t get distracted and miss the man’s kicks! 

Never one to fit in, you notice that RZA seems not to care about keeping up with the Wales and Cudis of the world, but there’s still a place in his sole for Air Jordans, Nike Air Max 90 Boots, Reebok ATR basketball sneakers, adidas kicks, Timberland boots and a pink and blue pair that looks to be the Puma Clyde (or Suede, perhaps).  Those all might be decoys, though, since we picture him more like these photos: rocking a pair of crisp Clarks Wallabees.  Enjoy more shots of RZA shooting the new Supreme lookbook at the Wu-compound in Jersey.  via SDSD

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As a sneakerhead, this story is likely to elicit a wide range of emotions.  At a superficial level, we’re a little jealous to see Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus, wearing the ‘Rising Sun’ Air Jordan XII (12) even though we couldn’t get them last month as expected.  Take a look at the headlines, though, and you’re sure to be confused by what’s going on down at UCF’s Orlando campus. 

Signed to a multiyear contract with adidas, the University of Central Florida first told MJ’s ‘rising son’ that he could either drop his daddy’s kicks or face serious consequences.  Since the Jordan family assets likely exceed UCF’s endowment, the lil’ Jordan kept right on going.  Clearly, that didn’t sit well with adidas.  Here’s the email adidas spokeswoman Andrea Corso sent to the Orlando Sentinel:

The University of Central Florida has chosen not to deliver on their contractual commitment to adidas. As a result we have chosen not to continue our relationship with them moving forward.

Simple enough . . . or is it?  Apparently, regional adidas officals had told the young Jumpman that he could rock his namesake kicks, a decision later repealed by executive management.  The Rising Suns look awesome with UCF’s home unis, so should adidas care that people are going to associate the team that includes Michael Jordan’s son with Jordan Brand? 

Marcus even went so far as to white-out the tongue Jumpman, leaving the only logos visible on his feet a small ‘23′ on each heel (dwarfed by the broad Three Stripes crossing his SpeedWrap ankle supports).  This controversy begs the question, could adidas have ever prevented Marcus from drawing that kind of attention, even in a pair of their kicks?

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Aside from their rainbow collaboration with Ransom, we haven’t seen many adidas boots.  It’s about time for that to change, so enter the adidas Tokio.  Available in lowtops or high, the Tokio takes the basic aesthetic of classic Three Stripes runners and beefs up the traction.  There is also Gore-Tex treatment on the upper and eyelet loops add to the rugged look.  Grab a hightop in brown/black/yellow, one in black/white/red or the low cut version in blue/black/grey, all from Caliroots.

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adidas Originals has collaborated with Jason Markk on a special edition cleaning kit to supports the adidas Originals Five Two 3 campaign. The kit is packaged in an adidas Originals Five Two 3 and Jason Markk box. There are many Five Two 3 graphics on the inside of the cleaning kit. This special editon collabo will include a standard 8 oz. Jason Markk Premium Sneaker Solution and Sneaker Cleaning Brush. via Freshness

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The new adidas Originals Plants Pack has quite an interesting theme.  At first glance, this quintet is just a bunch of white (patent) leather sneakers of varying heights.  Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice a flower-ized Trefoil logo in green on the tongue and a brown outsole that symbolizes the Earth’s soil.  It’s a bit of a stretch, really, but then again, you can wear these with pretty much anything.  Stick with Sneaker News for updates on the release for Plants Pack editions of the Nizza Hi, Samba, Forum Mid, Stan Smith 80s and the Superstar 80s will hit retailers soon.  via Openers

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Last month, we brought you a look at the adidas Consortium City Series, and now we turn our attention to part 2 of the collection, featuring collaborations with four more world-class shops from around the globe. Participating in this round of the City Series will be New York City’s DQM, Milano shop Slam Jam, Kopenhagen’s Norse Projects and as we previewed earlier today, Stockholm retailer SneakersNStuff. Each has put their own unique spin on their respective adidas Consortium model, with their store’s logo found either on the tongue label or the heel to really put their stamp on the project. Keep reading after the jump for more pics and info on all four styles and look out for the pack hitting adidas Consortium accounts in the very near future.

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Stockholm, Sweden’s SneakersNStuff (say that five times fast) has found its way onto alot of sneaker collaborations this year.  Their latest teamup is with adidas on the appropriately named Stockholm lowtop.  It comes in a grey suede that’s so knappy you might be tempted to peel a bit of it off.  Gold leaf printing makes it obvious that this was a labour of love while blue and yellow leather accents rep for the motherland.  Stick with Sneaker News for more updates on this collab.  via SF

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