Matt Varga After an expectedly sleepy start to the year, 2026 is finally beginning to heat up.
Dropping off the annual Doernbecher collection will certainly help that, as the already hotly-anticipated Air Jordan 17 joins the Air Max Plus, Air Force 1, Air Max DN8, V2K Run, and Vomero Plus in the charity-focused initiative. The first major Jordan release of the year is also on tap, as the 90s-inspired Jordan 4 “Flight Club” makes landfall. As if they heard public complaints about their usual holiday releases, Nike also provides much of that via their Valentine’s Day collection, as heart-laden suede AF1s and more from the Astrograbber capture the romantic air.
Further down the billing, the Nike Book 2 delivers the second of its two introductory looks with the Foamposite-like Phoenix, Sneaker Politics and Saucony are spending most their lives in the “Sportsman’s Paradise” via the Progrid Omni 9, and it’s a big week for adidas Basketball, as Anthony Edwards, James Harden, and unexpectedly, Derrick Rose, are putting numbers on the board.
The typical day-to-day breakdowns with hyperlinks back to original coverage can be found just ahead. Keep an eye on our Sneaker Release Dates and Jordan Release Dates to ensure nothing slips through the cracks, even as we update this page with any notable late-comers to the slate.
January 11th uncommonly drops off a Sunday release, as the Air Jordan 11 “Black Patent” Cleat adds some murdered-out performance wear.
January 13th has the Nike Air Max 95 “Velvet Brown,” a delicate flip on usual grey gradients, as its #1. However, don’t sleep on the Nike Air Superfly Moc, an easy-on overhaul of the once-track shoe, nor the Coca Cola Crocs for the pop companies’ hardcores.
January 14th is booked wall-to-wall by the Swoosh’s romantic fare: the Nike Air Max 95 “Valentine’s Day,” four Nike Air Force 1 “Valentine’s Day” colorways including three paired suede variations, and the Nike Astro Grabber “Valentine’s Day.” An aggressive reinvention from the Boston brand clocks in as well, with two colorways of the New Balance 2000 “Liquid Metal.”
January 15th has two Beaverton ballers in focus via the Nike KD 18 “International Blue” and the Jordan Luka 5 “Bred.” If running is more your speed, two fresh version of a teched-out silhouette enter: the Nike Vomero Premium “Sapphire” and Vomero Premium “Bright Crimson.”
January 16th again is heavy on the hardwood: the Nike Book 2 “Phoenix,’ Ja 3 “Year of the Horse,” and LeBron 23 “Green With Envy” tack on more from the Swoosh’s signature roster. For the music obsessed, the Hal Studios ASICS GEL-NYC 2.0 tips off a new model with a ton of NYC hip-hop inspo.
January 17th, at long last, unveils the Doernbecher Freestyle collection, comprised of the Air Jordan 17 “Doernbecher,” Air Force 1 “Doernbecher,” Air Max Plus “Doernbecher,” Air Max DN8 “Doernbecher,” Vomero Plus “Doernbecher,” and V2K Run “Doernbecher.” In the first real Jumpman Saturday of the year, we also get the Air Jordan 4 “Flight Club,” while the Sneaker Politics Saucony Progrid Omni 9 arrives inspired by the “Sportsman’s Paradise.” To close, the Three Stripes gets in on a roundball-centric slate; a fresh retro of the adidas adiZero D Rose 1 “Bulls” joins the Harden Vol. 10 “Hellcat” and the Anthony Edwards 2 “Lucid Pink.”
