March 28th, 2013 by John K.
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Take a look at the NBA players that have signature shoes today and it’s clear that being a signature athlete requires the perfect alignment of skill, charisma, sheer location of employment, and a few other things that make a human into a superstar. LeBron, Kobe, Melo, CP3, Wade, and D-Rose all play in major markets where the opportunity for extensive media coverage is all but guaranteed, with Kevin Durant being the one industry anomaly of being a highly successful signature athlete playing in a small-market city; this seems like a healthy list that should hold us down for a few years, but being content only means one thing – there is room for more.
The landscape of sneaker brands is unique in that some of these labels have become flexible with who they choose to represent their brands on that “face of the brand” tier. Take up-and-coming Under Armour for example; their lone signature athlete is Brandon Jennings, but with DeAndre Jordan playing in a huge market and his insane dunk placing some added spice to his shoes, the neophytic UA label has experienced some added exposure as the prime “indie” brand. While the responsbility that comes with being a signature athlete is something that can be compromised, Nike, Jordan Brand, adidas, Li-Ning, and Under Armour – the major brands in the basketball category – all have the room to fit in a new guy on the team.
But is it even time to welcome a new name to the sneaker industry? There’s no doubt that player names play a large part in shaping consumer tendencies, and with Kobe Bryant nearing retirement every passing year, LeBron well on his way to signature shoe history for Nike, KD well-ingrained in the Nike’s historical fibers, and D-Rose sitting prettily with a life-time contract, it’s a ripe-enough time for a fresh name to be thrown into the mix. Each brand across the board has a select group of athletes to represent their non-signature models, but is anyone ready to step up? We’ve narrowed down a list of the top candidates that may be worthy of sig-shoe distinction, so check out our list below and chime in with your opinions on this latest installment of What Do You Think?.
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March 25th, 2013 by John K.
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There’s no doubt that this weekend was a great one for hoop fans, with both the pro and college ranks giving their all as both look at advance toward championship glory. As we inch closer to the NBA Playoffs, we’re focusing on the potential candidates for the NBA Feet MVP Trophy for this season, and all of the front-runners for that prize are here once again in this latest edition of NBA Feet. Monta Ellis in the Air Jordan XIII “Altitude” and the Air Jordan XVII, J.R. Smith in the Air Jordan IV “White/Cement”, Nate Robinson in the Air Jordan XIII “Playoffs”, and Arnett Moultrie going Air Jordan VIII “Aqua” are all below, so take a look and give us your nominees for NBA Feet MVP of the 2012-2013 Season.
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March 22nd, 2013 by John K.
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Yesterday Sneaker News showed you LeBron’s interesting sneaker swap of the LeBron VI “Fairfax” and the LeBron X PE, but that wasn’t all that was worth noting. Carmelo Anthony returned to the line-up and helped the Knicks to a second straight victory, while Russell Westbrook rocked an all-black PE of the Air Jordan XX8 for the second straight game. Other Air Jordan news included Arnett Moultrie’s consecutive Air Jordan VIII “Aqua” selection and the Bred XIII on Nate Robinson, but one notable no-show was Rudy Gay, who again played in the Nike Hyperdisruptor. Damian Lillard went back to the Retro as we played in the adidas Top Ten 2000, while All-Star Jrue Holiday went with the Retro-inspired adidas Real Deal. A full gallery of NBA Feet is below, of course, so take a look!
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March 20th, 2013 by John K.
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A lot went down in the NBA the last two days. LeBron posterized Jason Terry and led the Heat from behind to win 23 straight, Derrick Rose appears to be closer to a return, the Knicks pulled out a W without nearly sixty million dollars worth its roster out with injury, and much more. The NBA Feet sightings weren’t too shabby as well; Russell Westbrook broke out an OKC PE of the Air Jordan XX8, while Derrick Williams went with the Air Jordan V “Wolf Grey”. PJ Tucker of the Suns opted for the Nike Kobe 8 “Christmas”, teammate Markieff Morris made his #FoampositeMadness choice with the Stealth, and Brandon Jennings wore a clean colorway of the Under Armour Spine Low. A full recap’s below, so take a look and stay tuned for more NBA Feet as we near the Playoffs in about a month.
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March 18th, 2013 by John K.
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NBA Action was rolling on all cylinders throughout the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, with a nice selection of green-based sneakers coming to light during the Sunday games. James Harden supported his former teammate by wearing the Nike KD V “Hulk”, while “Volt” was a popular pick with Blake Griffin’s Jordan Super.Fly 2 and Deron Williams’ Nike Zoom Huarache 2k4. The Air Jordan XX8 popped up on the feet of Joe Johnson, who wore the Black/Electric Green colorway, while the brand’s lead man Russell Westrbook wore a tonal-black PE with a white Jumpman on the heel. There’s plenty more in Air Jordan Retros, Nike Basketball, adidas, and more, so take a look at NBA Feet below and stay tuned for more!
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March 15th, 2013 by John K.
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Only a handful of games were scheduled for the last two days, but the heat didn’t slow down at all! The Raptors continued their neck-breaking ways with Amir Johnson wearing the Air Jordan XI ‘Bred’, but teammate Rudy Gay went back to the Nike side by wearing a Hyperdisruptor TB colorway. Brandon Jennings broke out the Under Armour Spine Low, while teammate Monta Ellis went with Bred XIII. Kobe wore a new colorway of his own shoes, while Paul George, who usually wears Kobes and Hyperdunks, went with the Air Jordan III “Black/Cement”. More to see below, so take a look and point out your favorite on-feet sighting.
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March 13th, 2013 by John K.
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Sneaker customs have had to travail a rough road to the city of “relevance”, making stops at “ridicule” and “acceptance” on the way. Yesterday was a big night for the sneaker customs category and for Mache Customs in particular because the pair of Li-Ning Way of Wades he was commissioned for made its way onto an NBA court. Dwyane Wade gave the hometown Heat fanbase a nice treat by wearing the ‘Gradient Peel’ custom against the Hawks, so that only sets up an incredible tag-team NBA Feet of Wade’s ‘War Machines’ and LeBron’s ‘Ironman’ LeBron Xs (also done by Mache). Does this open the door for more customs to make their way onto the NBA court (remember Gilbert Arenas wore custom VIs once)? Will Nike and other brands step up their in-house game and come up with crazier colorways? Check out Wade and his Li-Ning customs below and let us know what you think.
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March 13th, 2013 by John K.
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While this isn’t the first time a pair of sneaker customs made its way onto an NBA court, Dwyane Wade’s decision to wear his Li-Ning Way of Wade “Gradient Peel” Customs by Mache sorta opened the door for other NBA players to follow suit and get their orders in from the custom game’s best handymen. Aside from Wade’s selection, there was quite a collection of on-feet stories, like Derrick Williams in the Flint Grey XII, Deron Williams in the Nike Hyperdisrupter ‘Fighter Jet’ Camo, PJ Tucker’s All-Star Kobe 8s, and much more. As usual, we’ve got a high-def gallery of NBA Feet for you below, so take a moment and spot your favorite kicks.
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