The New Balance BB9000 Takes Inspiration From The 550 And Other Legacy Models Of The Past

Not long ago, New Balance announced they would be returning to the hardwood. And in the years since, the Boston-based footwear brand has fostered a number of performance silhouettes, the most notable belonging to athlete Kawhi Leonard. But in just a couple more days, the NB Hoops team will be offering a new proposition: the heritage and high fashion inspired BB9000.

In design, the model nods to some older Hoops favorites such as the 550 and the 480. Though not overtly evident in the construction, both inspire the two upcoming colorways’ retro feel, with blue and red decals dressing the white leather base. Elsewhere, the logos — which arrive in oversized, color-heavy varieties — pay homage to flagships like the 1300 and 574, injecting quite a bit of the lifestyle category’s influence. Below, the tooling brings the FuelCell tech employed previously by the OMNIS, TWO WXY, and KAWHI.

Though the BB9000 may borrow quite a bit from its predecessors, it’s upper seems to belong to a class of its own. Informed by formal footwear, the full grain leathers and nubuck suedes come together in a way more sleek than any of the aforementioned. And with its two-part welted cupsole, oversized laces, wax-dipped aglets, and throwback tongue, it certainly packs enough detail.

The first round of colorways will release at NewBalance.com and select retailers this April. More will come throughout the year.