It’s safe to say by this point, that Blake Griffin will forever be inextricably tied to the Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011. Blake broke out onto the national stage at last year’s dunk contest, debuted the Hyperdunk 2011 in his rookie ASG appearance the following night, then proceeded to posterize half of the league in the shoe before they could even get a pair. And because he was the first on board with the current model, Griffin also got a ‘Galaxy’ PE this year, in addition to standout colorways like the ‘Blake Show’ and Supreme-level player exclusives. With all this mutual success in the rear view, it wasn’t at all shocking when Blake suited up with the Hyperdunk 2011 Elite for the Clippers’ playoff run, but what’s happened in that series has been unexpected to say the least.
A series marked by blown leads, remarkable comebacks and a couple of dangerous dark horse championship contenders took another turn on Wednesday night at FedEx Forum. The Memphis Grizzlies avoided blowing another game and forced the series back to Los Angeles, where Blake Griffin switches back to a white ‘home’ Hyperdunk Elite not just to match the Clippers’ white home unis. Blake’s tendency to get punished by the opposing team continued as 265lb Grizz center Marc Gasol (who ironically enough, was also wearing Hyperdunk Elites after switching from the same Air Max Fly By Griffin rocked during his dunk contest win) plodded onto Griffin’s left foot, causing an awkwardly trapped ankle and a torn toe on the black ‘away’ edition.
This is a case where the substantial performance advantages conferred by modern synthetics can quickly turn into reminiscing on the durability of an ‘old fashioned’ postseason sneaker like the just-retroed Air Jordan XII ‘Playoffs’. But if the past is any indication, this modest setback will likely result in further innovation in Beaverton’s most famous kitchen in the name of addressing such issues. The Grizzlies and Clippers have also demonstrated they know all about that old what-doesn’t-kill-you adage during this series; which of your basketball sneakers has proved the most durable over the years?
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How exciting is it to know that barring a catastrophic injury, we’re only in year two of well over a decade of Blake Griffin throwing down on everyone in the NBA?! Come to think of it, Griffin has already overcome a pretty horrific knee injury en route to the Association, so perhaps that challenge is as much a part of history as the ‘Galaxy’/'Big Bang’ hoopla from this past NBA All-Star weekend. We’ll look back on the 2012 ASG and remember that it was only BG32′s 2nd, and that there were two distinct versions of his Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011 Supreme ‘Galaxy’ PEs created for the occasion. This production model goes for a star-speckled black lace in lieu of the rainbow-colored set we saw Blake wear in Orlando as well as a more recent set of sample images; do you prefer this dark contrast or the previously seen radiant laces? Let us know when you click through to see more images and check out the limited size run of these available now from Kicks-Crew.
Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011 Supreme
Mint Candy/Total Orange-Black
469776-301
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Just like they did last year, Blake Griffin’s All-Star Game kicks have become to object of the affection of many Nike Basketball fans. Blake’s Hyperdunk 2011 Supreme ‘Galaxy’ with the lunar graphics on the upper and astronaut PE logo has been called by some as the best 2012 All-Star Game sneaker of the year, and this recent development over in Asia could be the a boon for those who are dying to get their hands on a pair. It’s been reported that a very limited run of 94 pairs were released at select Asian retailers, which could quite possibly point to a release sometime in the near future. Last year’s 10.0 PE released long after we first saw the shoe during the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, so don’t count out a Supreme Galaxy release just yet. Of course, we’ll keep you updated, so check out these new detailed images in the meantime and stick with us for updates. Photos via air-knight
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Blake Griffin forever linked himself to the Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011 during last year’s NBA All-Star weekend, and with the sequel still months off, the NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year got another ASG PE this year that might carry an even greater magnitude than the ‘Blake-quake’ 10.0 edition. This Zoom Hyperdunk 2011 player exclusive carried all the detailing of Nike Basketball’s ‘Big Bang/Galaxy’ theme, their moon-emblazoned uppers and multicolored laces arguably the most visually impressive of the entire set. These probably won’t be as painful to see as images of the ‘Galaxy’ Air Foamposite One for those who camped out in vain, but their look-but-don’t-touch nature does indeed impart a bittersweet quality to the images you’ll see after the jump. via Ty
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The 2012 NBA All-Stars were ready for lift-off in Orlando as they left the crowd in a daze with spectacular dunks, unthinkable passes, and of course, a series of sneakers that left us startled and thoroughly impressed. Sneaker News has been keeping you up to date with all the 2012 All-Star kicks by showing you the official All-Star team photos and portraits and a preview of the ‘Galaxy’ PE’s, but there’s nothing better than to see them in action. Starting with the East, LeBron James showed off his radiant orange LeBron 9s, while teammate Dwyane Wade went with the Air Jordan 2012 with the royal blue bootie (switching to the Fly Wade 2 for the second half). Carmelo Anthony wore his All-Star PE of the Melo M8, while East starters and adidas Basketball pillars Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard showed off their neon orange PEs. Andre Iguodala’s Nike Zoom Hyperenforcer PE got a lot of attention (especially with his lefty windmill in the first half), and Rajon Rondo recorded the second All-Star on-feet moment of the Galaxy Foams. Both Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard switched up their PEs, going with the hot orange in the first half and changing up in the second to different Royal and Grey PEs.
Out West, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant provided waves of scoring while rocking their Nike Basketball signatures. Clippers star Chris Paul hooked up with teammate Blake Griffin on several occasions, flashing the CP3.V and Hyperdunk 2011 ‘Galaxy’ in the process. Russell Westbrook dunked his way into the spotlight with his golden ‘Galaxy’ PE of the Zoom Hyperenforcer, while Tony Parker and Steve Nash dished and swished with the Zoom Brave V and Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011 Low. Kevin Love, the 3-point champion, brought Peak to the ASG with his 361-degrees PE. The game itself was filled with spectacular moments; the East came back from a huge deficit to take the game down to the last shot, while teammate Dwyane Wade recorded the third triple-double in All-Star Game history. Kobe Bryant got his nose bloodied for a short moment while becoming the highest-scoring All-Star in history, while Kevin Durant bloodied the entire East squad by pouring in 36 points and taking home the All-Star Game MVP award. All in all, the 2012 NBA All-Star Game was one of the best we’ve ever seen; great high-scoring action, exciting weekend events, pre-game and half-time performances, and of course, one of the best sneaker spreads ever to make it to an All-Star Game floor. Check out the entire 2012 NBA All-Star Game recap after the jump and be sure to stick with Sneaker News for more NBA Feet features as the 2012 NBA season approaches the second half. via ESPN/Yahoo
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The league’s most promising first- and second-year players got together to participate in the 2012 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge that featured a mixed-and-matched team drafted by makeshift GMs Shaquille O’neal and Charles Barkley. Team Chuck took the win at the end with Cleveland Cavs rookie phenom Kyrie Irving taking home the MVP honors. Of course, we had our eyes glued to their feet, and the Rising Stars Challenge certainly did not disappoint; among the key sightings were there Hyperfuse Low iD for Jeremy Lin, Landry Fields and his Zoom Kobe VII PE, John Wall’s Zig Encore PE, Norris Cole’s LeBron 9 PE, and Blake Griffin’s scorching red Hyperdunk 2011s. The Rising Stars Challenge served as a platform for other brands who don’t get much notice, like Kemba Walker’s Under Armour Micro G Bloodline and Evan Turner’s Li-Ning Turningpoint ‘Year Of The Dragon’ PE. Check out the recap from the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge below and stay tuned to Sneaker News for more All-Star Weekend Coverage! via Yahoo
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Is Blake Griffin the greatest dunker of the post-Vince generation? In under 1.5 seasons in the NBA, Blake Griffin has amassed a mind-boggling collection in-game dunks that have set the internet ablaze with chatter, but his Monday-night theatrics over Kendrick Perkins have some wondering if Blake is possibly the greatest dunker of all-time. Then again, there are the detractors who believe that Blake’s dunk wasn’t exactly a dunk (more of an emphatic throwing of the ball through the hoop from an elevated position). If that’s the case, Blake Griffin is hands down the greatest thrower-of-the-ball-through-the-hoop-from-an-elevated-position of all-time, usurping that role from Keon Clark, who ‘dunked’ over Shawn Bradley in similar fashion some years ago. Blake has his Hyperdunk 2011s to thank, and Eastbay just go in-stock the Home and Away colorways of the Supreme variety, so head over the Eastbay to get yours and let us know who you think is the greatest in-game NBA dunker in history.
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What a way to close out the month of January! Just last night, Sneaker News showed you Ray Allen’s insane Air Jordan XIII PE in Black/Green, but that wasn’t the only notable sneaker sighting from the past two days. Al Harrington of the Denver Nuggets sported a Nike LeBron 9 iD colorway of Gold/Black, while C.J. Miles of the Utah Jazz wore a great colorway of the Nike Zoom KD III iD. Chris Paul wore a Blue/Red colorway of the Jordan CP3.V, while teammate Blake Griffin wore Kendrick Perkins’ face on his feet (actually the Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011). The Knicks finally got back to winning ways, with Amare Stoudemire sporting a nice PE colorway of the Nike Air Max Sweep Thru, and Derrick Rose and the Bulls bounced back from the loss with their leader wearing the adidas adiZero Rose 2.5. Next to Ray’s XIIIs, the sighting of the two nights might be Earl Clark’s Royal Foams. Check out all the NBA action from the last two days of January below, and stay with Sneaker News as we keep you in tune with all of NBA Feet for the month of February! via ESPN.
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