Coke No Ice: Iconic

Today I wanted to take a closer look at the Nike Air Jordan "Icons", the latest team shoe from Brand Jordan. JB is pushing this model hard - it's invading the courts of the NBA, NCAA and your local gym. Here's a look at the general release (GR) black/red colorway...

At first glance, I was not a fan of this shoe. Initially to me it looks like another un-inspired team mash-up shoe, taking hues from the Air Jordan XX...

...and from the Air Jordan XX3...

To me, they seemed destined to the same fate of the AJ 9.5 and AJ 16.5, which was clearance racks nationwide. And usually Ray Allen will wear some of the best Jordan Player Exclusive (PE) colorways, but I laughed at his all-green pair...

But then I started seeing colorways I liked around the league. Like DJ Augustin's cool grey pair (yummy!)

...or his white/grey/orange PEs...

And started liking after seeing these detailed pics of Gerald Wallace's Slam Dunk Competition pair from ASG weekend in Dallas...

Any wonder that MJ is outfitting his Bobcats with such nice Jordan PE colorways lately?

What really grabbed me were the collegiate special make-ups (SMUs) that started appearing on courts at conference tournament time.

Icons SMUs were made for NCAA tourney teams like Georgetown, the #3 seed in the tough Midwest region...

...Dwyane Wade's alma mater Marquette, facing Washington first round. Their "home white" colorway is my favorite thus far...

...and the Golden Bears of California, with a tough first round match-up vs. Louisville.

Heck, even the NIT-bound UNC Tar Heels have a hot Icons SMU...

I am betting this shoe will perform well on the court. I enjoyed the outsole of the AJ XX and the Icon's midsole looks like an exact replica. Here's a quick vid on the performance make-up of the shoe from jumpman23.com.

With some nice traditional GR colorways like the black pair up top and these...