EM - EL - KAY, PART 2

So while the Lakers were draped in MLK Kobe Vs, the rest of Nike's endorsees were rockin' grey themselves....

Aaron Brooks in the MLK HyperDunk Low PE

Rudy Gay's MLK Sharkalaid PE

Pau Gasol (and others) in the MLK Hyperize PE

Craig Smith MLK Blue Chip PE

MLK Air Max Rise PE


Meanwhile, Brand Jordan has been funneling its endorsees some player exclusive XII colorways. Here's the latest on Ray Allen, Gerald Wallace and Dwyane Wade...



And a bonus....Rasheed Wallace AF1 (gum sole - pretty!)


And peep this...

What does “Bin 23” mean? A sneak peek at an upcoming Brand Jordan Retro + release, the AJ II Retro feature croc skin. Release date? Who knows, but they can keep these....

EM - EL - KAY

Wow...just wow. If you stayed up last night to watch the Magic/Lakers game on Martin Luther King Day, you caught not only a breakout night from Shannon Brown (Sparty On from the Slam Dunk competitor) & the Lake Show coming back from a third quarter deficit, but also the unveiling of the MLK Zoom Kobe 5.

Craig Sager did a little bit on the kicks coming back in from a commercial break. Not only did Kobe rock the MLK V, but D-Fish, Odom, Brown & Josh Powell followed suit.

Sager said "these will not retail". We'll see about that...

Some more Kobe...



This past weekend, Nike held "Nike Live with Kobe Bryant" at the Montalban Theater in Los Angeles. A bunch of Kobe's shoes were on display, such as PE versions of the ZK4 & ZK5, as well as Huaraches & Hyperdunks. And lovely pair of ZK4 Snake Pools.

Next up, All Star kicks sighting! Lebron 7...

...Kobe 5...

...the Hyperize...
...and the KD2 (Kevin Durant)

And speaking of the KD2, the Creamsicle KD2 hit House of Hoops locations this past weekend.

Last but not least, one of the better non-retro releases by Jordan Brand, the AJ 1 Alpha....


It's an upgraded version of the Air Jordan 1 (a playable version, if you will). And at $115, I think it's an excellent combination of value and looks compared to other Team Jordan shoes.

Avatar x Air Jordan II?

Well, not really....but it probably crossed your mind when you first saw the pic. Look for the AJ 2 white/silver this month and this university blue/black/white Retro version in August or September.



Peep this Asia-exclusive....the AF25 Low "Black Mamba". It should be named "Charlotte Hornet" since it resembles Grandmama's former team more than anything Kobe/Laker related, but this thing smokes. Yet another overseas release I wish we had.


And available now...the Nike Dunk High College Pack. All three looks dope (I'd gut the laces in all three, though). Reminisce of the "Be True" Nike SB pack from several years ago, this pack features a white/varsity red (St. John's), white/orange (Syracuse) and a white/powder blue (UNC) colorway. The Syracuse & UNC have a combination of smooth leather & a mesh side panel, while the SJU features a textured side panel.

Enter The Mamba...

In addition to the Laker "Away" colorway dropping this Saturday, the first installment of the Kobe V "Personality Pack" hits with the Bruce Lee quickstrike edition V's. Not sure when he will bust them out for a game, but you will find these at Niketowns, HOHs and QS accounts only.

I am ecstatic to see a 2010 retro of the AJ KO....but after seeing this pic, I am not so sure:

Yellow midsole? Its one thing to come all pre-yellowed like the JorDunk pack from a few years ago (refresher pic)...


...but this is ridiculous! You will see the AJKOs in the fall.

Another ridiculous Jordan retro blunder is seen on the 25th Anniversary edition of the AJ XI. Um, where's the Jumpman? And no...we are not looking at the medial side -- it's missing a Jumpman!


That icy blue sole...mmm. Unfortunately, this might be the closest we see to a Columbia XI retro release....

So, for those who caught the Cavs/Blazers game last night, did you noticed something about Bron's feet?



He busted out two different colored shoes last night! This reminded me of the Kid & Play days (I'll admit, I did this before with some early '90s Flights). You will probably see both HWC colorways at an HOH near you in March or April.

In addition to the HWC colorways, these grey/orange Brons are slated to drop during the spring...


Last but not least, I snoozed on these bad boys last Saturday & kinda regret it now. DJ Premier AF1 Lows and DJ AM Dunks. They carry hefty MSRPs, but the materials are straight pfffffffff!

Back to the grind...

Happy New Year, folks. Lets kick things off with Brand Jordan. JB is celebrating their 25th (silver anniversary) in 2010, so watch for sig shoes 1-23 to drop in white/silver colorways. Here are two of the retro models dropping sometime soon...

Air Jordan II Retro (2)
White/Metallic Silver-Natural Grey (385475-101)
$135
Release date: 01/30/2010



Air Jordan IX Retro (9)
White/Metallic Silver-Natural Grey
Price & Release date: TBD



Onto Bron Bron. He's been rocking the China VII lately, but here is a glimpse of the Dunkman VII dropping this spring...



While the gunmetal/green colorways tend to be the most popular for Bron's sig shoes and Soldiers, Jason Petrie has stated they are moving towards something different (per ISS):

"Sometimes you just gotta change the status quo guys. We were tired of grey/green, it was time for a fresh take! The dunkman is about the green, not the gray, and the story and reason behind using black made much more sense than just using gray for the sake of it being a real "dunkman" colorway. Dunkman is about an attitude, the gray may be back at some point, but now is your chance to own something that is different from every other lebron shoe. And once you hear the story of why the shoe is black, you will see that grey would have made no sense. Be happy you even got a dunkman color at all, it was a fight to get them in the line!"

Onto Mamba....dropping next week, Away Colorways of the Kobe V...



So pretty....and the last couple of games Mamba has been rockin' the Inline Vs, slated to drop in the next month or so...





^ I'm really looking forward to those...

And 2010 looks like the year of the Air Max mash-ups. These aren't too shabby, but I will reserve judgement till I see in person.

Nike Zoom Don (dropping fall 2010)





A hybrid of the classic Spiridon and what appears to be a AJ XIII-ish midsole. This follows in line with the 2009 release of the Air "Hoop" Structure.

And for model I am really anticpating....the Air Max 24-7. Basically, it contains a AM 95/97 hybrid upper with what looks like a 360 2009 sole. Watch for these in the spring or early summer:







Till next time...