With the adidas Nations camp taking place from August 4th until August 8th down in Dallas, Texas, the world’s best 18-and-under ballers will be gathering for a week of drills, scrimmages and advice from several well known former and current NBA players. Jerryd Bayless, Brook Lopez, Eric Gordon, Mike Conley and Detlef Schrempf and Reggie Theus are just a few of the coaches. For the third annual adidas Nations camp, each hooper will also be playing a special colorway of the adidas TS Commander LT, which was of course first seen on the feet of Dwight Howard during the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

Eastbay and adidas have teamed up to drop 200 pairs of the ‘adidas Nations’ TS Commander LT, which are now available at Eastbay.com/adidasnations. The website is also the exclusive host of camp coverage and streaming video from the scene, so be sure to check it out. The Nations TS Commander LT will run $125, and you’ll also be entered for a chance to win a full set of camp gear upon purchase.

For the past week in Las Vegas, several NBA players squared off in a series of scrimmages and practices as a pseudo try-out for the 2012 USA Olympic squad. With USA Basketball Managing Director Jerry Colangelo, Coach Mike Krzyzewski and several other coaches all paying close attention to the action, they’re hoping to get a feel for the playing styles of several promising young players and see who could potentially fit into their plans for London’s Games. A lucky byproduct of the week-long mini-camp is also a sneak peak at several of the sneakers that the guys will be wearing this upcoming season!

Thaddeus Young might not yet be a household name, but I’d figure by 2012 he’ll be known by more than just the hardcore fans of the game. Like several of the Nike athletes at the camp, Bad Thad is wearing the Nike Hyperize in a white/navy team colorway.

During a scrimmage open to the public, Andre Iguodala showed off his exlosiveness in the Nike Hyperize. Not a good look for Wizards’ big man JaVale McGee!

OJ Mayo was also in the house too, as he broke out the Nike Air Max Rise. You can also spot Kyle Korver in the Converse Assist and DJ Augustin in the Jordan Jumpman Elite.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose pulls up for a jumper in the adidas TS Cut Creator, coming this fall!

Kevin Love THROWS IT DOWN BIG MAN in the Nike Hypermax.

Clippers emerging off guard Eric Gordon takes it to the rack in the adidas TS Creator Lightning. You think he’s got a shot at the 2012 team?

Greg Oden shows off his defensive positioning skills while Brook Lopez puts down a nice dunk in the adidas Pro Model Fusion.

Kevin Durant had everyone talking during the camp, as not only did he debut the Nike Zoom KDII, but he also left everyone in attendance in awe and appears to be a lock for the 2012 squad.

One of the lesser known players invited to the camp, Ronnie Brewer of the Utah Jazz, isn’t unnacustomed to having to work hard for his goals, as he’s been under the radar every step of the way while already enjoying some early success in his career.

Nate McMillan, Mike D’Antoni, Coach K and Jerry Colangelo all man the sidelines as they take a look at the crop of players fighting for their spot in the next Olympics. Mike D is doin’ big things!

Oh yeah, and some power moves went down in the L this week. Clippers fans — you hyped!?

It’s a pretty monumental moment when an athlete earns a sixth signature shoe. Few have, and now Carmelo Anthony can be added to the upper echelon of signature sneakers as his new Jordan Melo M6 will be dropping this October. Designed by Justin Taylor, after the first five kicks were born from the pen of Design Director D’Wayne Edwards, the Melo M6 will be hitting for a retail price of $120 this fall and will be dropping in several team bank colorways on Eastbay.

Featuring nubuck along the toe and tongue, a synthetic leather rand around the perimeter of the shoe and mesh along the quarter, the most noticeable feature is the shoe’s shimmering synthetic overlay where the dual branding resides and Melo’s logo along with the Jumpman logo can be found. The shoe also features an integrated tongue fit system to met Melo’s annual ankle support demands, as well as targeted notches along the inner collar for an improved heel fit around the malleolus bones of the ankle.

In terms of the shoe’s tooling, the Melo M6 features the trusty cushioning set-up of heel Dual Hardness Injected Phylon (DHIP) and forefoot Zoom Air, and the outsole features a combination of Melo’s ‘M’ icon traction pattern and traditional herringbone grooves. Be on the lookout for the Melo M6 this fall in a wide array of colorways, and you can also look for a complete breakdown of the sneaker along with a designer interview in a future issue of Sole Collector.

The colorways of the Zoom Kobe IV keep coming, and Eastbay just posted the Olympic inspired version of Kobe Bryant’s latest signature shoe. In White/Dark Obsidian/Varsity Red/Gold, this rendition of the Zoom Kobe IV features the familiar Team USA colors along with gold aplenty to commemorate the Gold Medal that Kobe and his teammates captured in Beijing last summer at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The Olmpics Zoom Kobe IV retails for $120 – Link to Eastbay

words_Nick DePaula

Every summer the NBA tests out its rookies and unproven youngsters by not only matching them up in front of intensively critical GMs and scouts, but they’re forced to play summer ball in Las Vegas of all places! With temptation abound, it’s actually pretty rare that you hear of a player getting into any trouble, and this year’s Summer League, presented by EA Sports, includes several of the draft’s biggest names as well as some up and coming players. Let’s take a look at what everyone is wearing!

Learn how to time a jumpball Joey Dorsey! (Oh yeah, he’s wearing the Zoom Soldier III.)

Anthony Randolph has been putting up monster numbers in Vegas, and here he’s bringing the ball up in the Nike Hypermax. With the strap sliding above the collar during play, he’s probably better off just getting rid of it altogether.

Taylor Rochestie is a pretty unknown player out of Washington State, and however long his odds are of making the Lakers squad, I’d think he’d at least spring $100 or so for a new pair of kicks as he’s trying out for a professional contract. Maybe his college worn Hyperdunks are particularly lucky?

Fellow Pacific Northwesterner Adam Morrison still indeed has to prove himself during the summer, and he’s been wearing the Thrillrahna while showing he can definitely score the ball.

Somehow, some way, Quincy Douby is playing in the Air Jordan Fusion 9. Go figure…

Maureece Rice tries to get on good terms with his potential teammate by wearing the Zoom Soldier II while trying out for the Cavaliers. Oh, and here’s another look at Rochestie’s BUSTED Hyperdunks.

Danny Green is apparently already buddies with King James, and he’s wearing the Zoom Soldier III.

I don’t know who Jermaine Taylor knows or if he’s a collector of any kind (he was wearing the Concord 6 Rings in a different game), but here he’s seen in Rudy Fernandez’s PE Hyperdunks that he wore during the Slam Dunk Contest this year in Phoenix. Squint hard and you can make out the ‘RUDY 5′ tagging. Random as it gets right here.

Jonas Jerebko puts down an emphatic dunk for the Detroit Pistons squad in the adidas TS Pro Model.

Apparently he had a terrible first half and looked pretty frazzled, but hopefully Brandon Jennings can pull things together and have a solid showing this week. I’m really pulling for the dude, and he’s wearing the Under Armour Prototype BB as he hopes to run the offense for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Austin Daye is about as frail as it gets, and he’s wearing the MPLS Zoom Kobe IV while being guarded by Demar Derozan, who’s wearing the Jordan True Flight.

Stephen Curry shows off his shooting touch in the Nike Hyperdunk, while everyone’s favorite cult dunking hero James “Flight” White leaves the Js at home and wears the Huarache ’09.

Roko Ukic put in work for the Toronto Raptors squad while wearing the Zoom Kobe IV.

Mark Cuban took in the festivities in a pair of the Thrillrahna and chats it up with Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo, who happens to be sitting next to THE MAN, Jimmy Goldstein.

I know none of these people. I promise.

In free agency, Rasheed Wallace recently signed on with the Boston Celtics. No shoes are pictured here, but how excited are YOU about some White/Green Air Force 1 Highs!!!?

And I’m not sure what look Hedo Turkoglu is going for here on this pose, but he’s definitely switching it up on everyone with this one!

On the women’s side of the things, Sue Bird held it down in the W with a LIVESTRONG pair of the Zoom LeBron Soldier III’s last week. Be on the lookout for a WNBA Sneaker Watch coming soon!

words_Nick DePaula

Just because the NBA season may be over doesn’t mean we won’t still be taking a look at what ballers around the league are wearing — even if that means stooping to Summer League ball!

Viewable through a live streaming feed via the Orlando Magic’s website, the NBA Summer League is absolutely a farce and is being “commentated” by Dante & Galante. Their commentary consists of reading fan emails during the game, making up stats, making fun of players and talking about their favorite slices of pizza. Real pros.

As journeymen, rookies and D-league hopefuls battle it out all week long in Orlando, lets take a look at what a few of the players have been rocking over the past few days.

Gabe Pruitt controls the tempo for the Celtics squad in the Reebok ATR Make It Rain. A hot shoe that I have no idea how to acquire.

Jrue Holiday, who became known as “Ja Rule” as the week progressed, has ditched his college stripes from UCLA and is now repping the Zoom Kobe IV’s. He’s also playing on a team comprised of 76ers & Nets players, hence the NBA logo jersey.

James Harden, drafted 3rd after one of the worst NCAA Tourney performances I’ve seen in quite some time, has also been rocking the Zoom Kobe IV, albeit in the much nicer Carpe Diem colorway.

Fellow teammate Russell Westbrook was spotted in a PEAK tee last week, but it appears he’s still on good terms with his folks at Nike, rocking the Powermax.

Some how, some way, this dude BJ Mullens is actually looking respectable on the court, and he’s been rocking a basic TB colorway of the Hyperdunk all week.

Ryan Anderson, wearing the Huarache ’09, lit up the scoreboard against the OKC Thunder on Tuesday, but Kyle Weaver gets the best of him on this play while rocking his teammate’s signature KD1′s.

In all seriousness, this guy Lance Allred has a pretty inspiring story, as he’s a hearing impaired 28 year-old that’s been fighting for a coveted NBA roster spot for years. Be sure to read more about him HERE. Lance is wearing the adidas Pro Model Fusion.

JR Giddens has come a long way after a few stops in college and some career uncertainty, and he’s rocking the Hyperdunk all week while trying to make the Celtics squad.

Dante & Galante : “The gym is in Mike Sweetney!”

With a defined role as a backup to Deron Williams, I’d look for the Hyperdunk-wearing Eric Maynor to have a steady and solid rookie year for the Utah Jazz.

A.J. hopes to have found a home in Indiana with the Pacers, but he’s still repping for UCONN with his tourney time Hyperdunks.

We’ll be seeing YOU in Europe Mr. Goran Suton with that kind of footwork!

One of the most energetic dudes in the draft, Terrence Williams, has been spending a good amount of time handling the ball for the NBA 76ers/Nets down in Orlando. He’s randomly wearing the Air Flight Skool.

I don’t know, but this guy just REALLY bugs me. Tyler Hansbrough, who actually has been playing pretty well, is wearing the Hyperdunk of course.

And lastly, it probably would’ve been good if Robert Swift actually found a long term place in the league before he went out and got ridiculously tatted up. After not quite sticking with the team that drafted him, he’s trying out for a spot on the Celtics, and is wearing the adidas Thrillrahna.

Words By Steve Mullholand

Here is your chance to cop one of the hottest issues out. Inside, you’ll fine the exclusive Sole Collector Eminem interview talking about his kicks (yes – he really is a sneakerhead), his music and much more. We also have an intense interview with Jason Petrie and Charles Williams of Nike Basketball covering the newest kicks from the Refresh line. This issue has a ton of other stories including the Sole Collector Penny 2s and more interviews that will keep you stoked on kicks.

The Eminem Cover (pictured below) can be purchased at Foot Locker / Footaction. Click here for a list of stores.

You can also purchase the Eminem cover on Eastbay as well as Sole Collector. Click here to purchase this issue on Eastbay or, click here to purchase this issue on Sole Collector.

The Sole Collector exclusive Penny 2 cover can be purchased on Sole Collector. Click here to purchase this issue.

Here’s a peak at just some of what’s inside.

words_Nick DePaula

All season long, it appeared as though LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were on a mission headed to the NBA Finals. With most fans and “experts” unsure that the Magic could even get past the Boston Celtics, they were certainly a heavy underdog against King James et al. After closing out the series in convincing fashion in six games, the multi-branded Magic topped the Soldier-themed Cavs and now will face off against the Los Angeles Lakers beginning on Thursday. Lets take a look at the varied footwear that the Magic wore, as every prominent player on the Cavs repped the white/navy Zoom Soldier III.

Courtney Lee paid tribute to one of the most influential players in franchise history, as he rocked the home colorway of Penny Hardaway’s signature Air Penny III.

Rafer ‘Skip’ Alston has done an impressive job filling in at the point for the injured All-Star Jameer Nelson, as he storms up-court in the And1 Cubic Mid.

For most of the night, there was simply too much Dwight Howard, who rocked the adidas TS Commander LT all series long.

Delonte West joined in on the Zoom Soldier III fun and was one of the only Cavs players to show some heart and intensity throughout the whole game, though Rashard Lewis, in an incredibly clean Hyperdunk colorway, gets the best of him on this play.

It was rather ironic that Mo Williams, wearing the Zoom Soldier III as well, happened to replace Jameer Nelson in the All-Star game, as he struggled all series long against the Magic.
Too. Much. D12.

My main man Hedo Turkoglu is finally headed to the Finals, after coming up huge in several games throughout the series. Seen here wearing the adidas Thrillrahna, he’s also switched back to last year’s TS Litespeed for much of the Playoffs.

Cavs fans got pretty used to this! It appeared as though he was giving us his best Dunkman impression all night long.

I’m not sure if this was a parody of the Cavs team photos from earlier in the season, but it’s nice to see a steady journeyman like Anthony Johnson finally realize his dream of making it to the Finals.

Tiger Woods, an Orlando resident, was in the building to root on the Magic. I’ll let an excerpt from Golfweek Magazine explain why this is funny:

Armed with a late next-day tee time at the Senior PGA, Mark O’Meara [Tiger's best friend] decided to head to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland to support his old hometown Orlando Magic against the Cavs. The Man Out Front [code name for the writer of this column] was looking over his shoulder when Mo sent a text to buddy Tiger Woods that read, "I'm sitting a foot from LeBron James and he told me you've got to get your act in gear." Woods was quick to respond: "Tell LeBron I got nine MVPs and 14 championships." And then he added, "$$$, and I'm not done."
Got 'em Tiger!

Congrats fellas!

Fishin' Time!

After the Denver Nuggets appeared to have a great shot at not only competing with the Lakers, but beating the Lakers, they fell short at home on Friday night, as Kobe Bryant’s 35 point, 6 rebound and 10 assist effort helped carry the Lakers into this year’s NBA Finals. Once again, six players for the Lakeshow wore the Zoom Kobe IV in various colorways (Bryant, Sasha Vujacic, Trevor Ariza, Josh Powell, Lamar Odom & Shannon Brown), as Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups kept with their respective sig shoes.

To start things off — I have NO IDEA what’s taking place in this picture.

Shannon Brown turned out to be a big contributor off the bench for the Lakers, and he too joined in on the Zoom Kobe IV fun for the playoffs. You’ve gotta credit Chris Andersen for contesting everything around the rim, as he broke out the Huarache ’09 for the last time of the season.

Much of the praise for the Nuggets’ turn-around and deep run into the playoffs can be given to Chauncey Billups, who stuck with his adidas TS Lightning Creators all postseason.

Hint your season is over? Luke Walton is getting in in like this.

After wearing everything from Air Jordan Fusion 9′s to Hyperdunks, JR Smith closed out the series in the more unassuming Blue Chip Low as he’s being defended here by Kobe Bryant.

He may have been entirely missing in action during last year’s NBA Finals, but so far this season, Pau Gasol has been tearing it up in the Playoffs while wearing the Hyperdunk.

Unfortunately for Denver fans, you may have seen the last of The Birdman, as Chris Andersen will be an unrestricted free agent this summer with several teams eager to add a hustler to their squad. Most likely he’ll re-sign with the Nuggets as he’s pretty outspoken about his love for the city, but it should be interesting once those offers start coming in.

While the Cavs may have blown several early leads and never quite got the production from the bench that they needed, Kobe Bryant came out with an assassin-like mindset right from the tip and refused to let his team lose, capping off one of his best performances with an emphatic dunk that ended the Nuggets’ season for good. He also debuted a new colorway of the Zoom Kobe IV in Game 6, and we can look for more varied colorways of his sig shoe as we get into the Finals.

Although the Nuggets, Rockets, Blazers and Mavericks fought hard this postseason, the Lakers are certainly deserving of being crowned the 2009 Western Conference Champions!

If you missed the limited drop of the Summit Lake Hornets colorway of the Zoom LeBron VI earlier this season, check out Eastbay.com for another chance at this highly sought after colorway. The Six is the second signature shoe to pay tribute to LeBron’s youth team, following last years Zoom Soldier 2. The sizes left are limited, so jump on this chance while you still have time.

words_Nick DePaula

All season long we’ve been bringing you Sneaker Watch for a look at what’s on the feet of everyone in the L, and lets reflect back on the 2008 portion of the season at some of the early season’s biggest highlights. Was the pair of Derrick Rose’s TS Creators your favorite, or did the ‘Big Apple’ LeBron VI’s steal the show in NYC? Let us know which shoe from the first half of the year you were feelin’ most, and look out for Part 2 later in the week.

Carmelo Anthony broke out the Melo V.5 one last time at the end of the exhibition season just for old time’s sake.

Before being traded to the Bulls in a welcomed move, Brad Miller was seen dunking on occasion in Sacramento with the Air Skarkley on.

In a battle of Thrillrahnas, Marcus Williams drives the baseline against Spencer Hawes.

When AI headed to Detroit to ruin the season try and add some scoring, he rotated through a few older signature models during his first few games, like the Answer VII seen here.

Before Kobe broke out the Zoom Kobe IV for the remainder of the season, he wore a hybrid of the Hyperdunk upper and Kobe IV tooling to help with the transition.

As usual, LeBron James had special plans for Madison Square Garden and the Big Apple.


Although the Suns ended up having quite a disappointing season and Amare Stoudemire missed a huge chunk of the season, he was seen wearing PE Hyperdunks throughout the first half of the year.

Once Reebok’s stock of Pistons colored Answers showed up, AI debuted the Answer XII.

Li Ning got some more on-court visibility this year, as Raptors’ PG Jose Calderon rocked them all season long en route to shattering the league FT record with an amazing 98% average.

Travis Outlaw had a great scoring season and also wore one of the hottest TS Commander colorways. Those are great!

Baron Davis joined in on the Li Ning movement too, ditching Reebok for more overseas exposure.

Dwight and KG headlined the Commander series, as both wore some sweet special makeup colorways that were also available at retail.

Jordan Brand added two new members this season in DJ Augustin and Kevin Martin, and KMart was lovin’ his XX3 PE’s in Kings colors!

Surely Derrick Rose will be taking home Rookie Of The Year honors, and he stuck by his trusty adidas TS Creators all season long.

While Reebok’s list of athletes slimmed down to just 11 players with the departures of Baron Davis, Gerald Green, Marvin Williams and Brent Barry, longtime Vector veteran Jason Terry wore the Talkin’ Krazy for most of the year.

Michael Redd seemingly missed another entire season, but it’s always nice to see his faux-Gucci PE’s hit the court at least a couple of times a year.

Chuck Hayes also joined the Li Ning roster of NBA players, understandably taking advantage of his teammate Yao Ming’s Chinese adoration.

Fellow Rockets teammate Luis Scola teamed up with Anta for his own signature shoe, as the Chinese footwear companies had a handful of new athletes at the start of the year.

All season long, Larry Hughes sucked and Nick Young rocked the latest Nike Sportswear heat. Wearing everything from the Zoom Flight 96 to the Zoom Flight Five and even the Air Penny II, seen here, Young was a lock to rock mid-90′s heat in DC.

Ray Allen enjoyed another season of several PE’s from Jordan Brand, and he wore the 6Rings often early in the year.

Just after the trade to Denver, Chauncey still wore his Pistons colored TS Creators until adidas had a Nuggets colorway ready for him. Great year CBillups!

Always a fixture at Madison Square Garden, Spike Lee broke out his Knicks custom Spiz’ikes on several occasions throughout the season.

There was much talk about the new Zoom Kobe IV all year long, and the Carpe Diem colorway was one of the more loved versions that Kobe rocked.

And lastly, we’ll cap off Part 1 of our Year In Review with Dunking Santa!!

The Zoom Flight Club, the latest classically inspired hoops shoe from Nike Basketball’s Refresh series, has just hit Eastbay.com in four colorways. Designed by Jason Petrie, the Flight 89′s sidewall and outsole pattern can be seen, as well as the Hyperflight’s collar and styling cues from the Zoom Glove and several other classic Flight sneakers. At just 15 ounces, the Zoom Flight Club is being worn by everyone in the L from Tony Parker to OJ Mayo to Andre Iguodala, and features a full-length Phylon midsole and visible heel Zoom Air unit. Priced at $110, it’s now available in the incredibly sexy Black/Citron/White colorway, as well as Tony Parker’s Playoff Pack edition, the Grey/White/University Blue version that JR Smith wore at All-Star Weekend and another colorway made famous in 1989.

For a full break-down of the Zoom Flight Club as well as an interview with Senior Designer Jason Petrie, Developer Aaron Petrella and PLM Charles Williams, be sure to check out Sole Collector’s upcoming Issue 28 at the end of May.

I’m lovin’ that Citron colorway!

Sole Collector’s annual Air Jordan Issue is available now. This year’s edition features a comprehensive breakdown of the Air Jordan 2009 and full coverage of Chris Paul’s latest signature shoe, the CP3.II. Additional stories include:

*Exclusive interviews with Jordan Brand athletes Ray Allen and April Holmes

*A history of the technology behind the Air Jordan line

*A look into Jordan Brand’s international vision with Gentry Humphrey

*Year Six of Michael Jordan Motorsports

*The latest PEs

*Much more

Click here to buy the issue.

The issue is also available at Eastbay and select Foot Lockers. Click here for a complete list.

Click here to discuss the issue.

For more exclusive online content, check out Eastbay.com/solecollector.

Each season, players around the league generally go through three mid-year change-outs of their kicks, at the start of the season, around All-Star Weekend and right before the Playoffs kick off. Here we have a look at several new shoes, like the Zoom Flight Club, the next model in Al Harrington’s Protege line, a new colorway of the Zoom Kobe IV and many more. Read along for a look around the league!

Two things are out of place here: 1. Josh Howard’s laughable Bulls tattoo. 2. Peja Stojakovic’s more-flashy-than-necessary TS Bounce Commander.

The Truth takes it straight at the Miami-VI-wearing King as he also debuts a hot PE colorway of the Nike Zoom Sharkley. Could you maybe expect these to drop in the near future at the House Of Hoops?

“Mama – There goes THAT MAN!”

Ray Ray wasn’t havin’ it with Anderson Varejao on Saturday, wearing the Jordan Elements and ready to throw down.

For some reason, Larry Hughes still gets PE’s from Nike. Here he’s wearing a pretty sweet away colorway of the Zoom Flight Club.

Al Harrington broke out his second signature Protege sneaker down in Miami, as Michael Beasley wears the TS Bounce Commander in a rare show of effort.

Iggy is also joining the Flight Club (get it?) with his own personalized away colorway.

Tim Duncan had to sit out Sunday night’s game in Sacramento as the Kings got swindled something serious, but shout out to my fellow McClatchy High School student and longtime Kings balllboy Matt Cardenas, seen wearing a pair of Zoom BB’s done up last year for Kevin Martin!

Tony Parker is closing in on a solid season and takes the open jumper in the Zoom Flight Club.

Mike Finley rocks a HOT colorway of the Jumpman Elite while making the “game-winning shot.” You be the judge. Then again, the Kings know what to expect after the 2002 Playoffs.

Sasha Vujacic gets an easy dunk in his signature sneaker from PEAK. Who knew dude could get up like that?

OJ The Juiceman gets by Kobe in the Zoom Flight Club for an easy two…

…But Kobe was loving him some of that new all white home Zoom Kobe IV.

Shannon Brown & Trevor Ariza are here to join the party too!


Sheed is still staying loyal to his high-top AF1, wearing a nice white/red colorway here as Tyrus Thomas goes in for the poster.

Jason Terry suspectly puckers up for a chest bump after nailing the game winning shot in the corner against the lowly TWolves. He’s wearing the Reebok Talkin Krazy and JKidd is in his signature PEAK kicks.

Carlos Boozer and Marcus Camby do battle in the key, wearing the Hypermax and Shox Elite ID, respepctively.

JRich joins the club as well, as he debuts a nice home PE colorway of the Zoom Flight Club.

Jerryd Bayless’ rookie year is coming to an end, and he gets in a nice tomahawk jam in the TS Lightning Creator during the Blazers’ rout of the Thunder.

Tons of folks made the two hour drive from Seattle to boo the hell out of the Thunder in their Sonics gear. I still can’t believe they’re gone!

And lastly, when Kenyon Martin spoke so eloquently when he proclaimed, “We might not lead the league in stats, but we do in tats,” he definitely had JR in mind as Team Captain.

words_Nick DePaula

Lets jump on in to the pics!

Andre Iguodala takes a jumper in his latest PE from Nike Basketball, the Zoom Flight Club.

Ben Gordon takes home ‘Best Shoe of Green Week’ honors from a slim number of contestants with his green and red patent leather Hyperdunk.

Brad Miller defies all explanation and breaks out the entirely forgettable Total Max II Uptempo, last seen in 2003, from the depths of his closet! Most random sneaker of the year BY FAR.

Green Week continues to be an epic let-down for sneaker watchers as Derrick Rose and players from every brand stuck with their normal kicks. Here DRose is wearing his standard TS Creators.

Kobe Bryant and Chauncey Billups squared off on both sides of the court last night in LA, wearing the Zoom Kobe IV and TS Lightning Creator, respectively.

Andrew Bynum is back at it on the hardwood after missing a huge chunk of the regular season for the second year in a row, seen here in a sweet colorway of the Foamposite Lite.

Nene rocks the Thrillrahna while taking it to the rim against Hyperdunk-loyal Pau Gasol.

Jordan Farmer keeps at it with the adidas Fly By and Anthony Carter always shows love for lows, wearing the Zoom MVP last night.

Jason Thompson is capping off a solid rookie year in Sacramento, and he’s been wearing the Blue Chip all season.

Ron Ron is up and running with PEAK now, taking the open jumper in his personalized signature shoe. Read more about it HERE.

Von Wafer continues to fill the scoring void for the injured TMac, as he attacks the rim in the Countdown Retro 3.

Yao Ming takes another slow…boring…prodding hook shot in the paint, wearing a custom version of the Pump Omni Hexride with a little added height.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

Somehow the Washington Wizards pulled off a big upset last  night and ended the Cavs 13 game winning streak, as Gilbert Arenas returned for only his second game this season and contributed well with assists and boards, though he was lagging in the shooting department. The Wiz weren”t able to slow down LeBron, but still held the rest of the Cavs down while he tried to do it all himself. What’s next? Tomorrow, the Final Four is happening and while both of my teams are out I think it should be a fun one to watch. However, I don’t care much for watching UNC and hope the VILL has their way with them! Now onto the pics!

The NBA tackled the “Green” trend this week, and every team had their own way of contributing. Here are a couple of the Suns’ dancers. I think this is a great way to market going green, as it’s like a beer or AXE body spray commercial. Formula? Hot girls congregate around “Green” things.

Ray Allen loves to run, he even does it when time has expired. Look at him go in his PE Air Jordan 2009. He looks like a T1000. That’s a Terminator reference my friends, I believe a first for Sneaker Watch.

Andre Iguodala defends in the Nike Foamposite Lite.

D.J. Augustin gets denied in the Air Jordan Pure Pressure.

Along with Denver’s jerseys, even Chauncey Billups’s adidas Lightning Creators got the Green treatment.

Rasual Butler in the Reebok Talkin Krazy attempts to shut down B. Diddy.

Antonio Daniels gracefully lays the ball up in some adidas. Now for the first time ever, let’s play Name That adidas Shoe, starring Antonio Daniels of the New Orleans Hornets!

Baron Davis in his Li Ning’s spots somebody in the crowd rocking streetwear.

Brendan Haywood throws down a monster dunk in the Nike Powermax.

Dwight Howard helped out the Boys & Girls Club this week and donated $20,000 to the facility and $100 gift certificates to FinishLine for 50 kids. He went over there with them and helped them during their shopping spree. As you can clearly see there is a bias here…

….but the kid in the middle isn’t letting Dwight persuade him. He’s getting his Wade on.

LeBron goes up for one of his attempts last night in a disappointing loss for the Cavs. It doesn’t matter too much though, their record is still nice. Oh, and Bron rocked The Six of course.

Willie Green of the 6′ers wore Reebok last night. Hey, lets play Name That Reebok Shoe!

Kevin Martin is like [T-pain voice]You know I can’t believe it[/T-Pain voice]. So much for that win. At the very least you got to wear the Air Jordan Pure Pressure. Weezy was loving the game winner though, just in case you were wondering K-Mart Jr.

Rashad McCants busted out the Zoom Kobe III against the Warriors.

It appears that Denver celebrates St. Patty’s day all year around? It’s actually apart of the NBA going Green campaign and Melo showcases his signature sneaker in the “color” of the night.

Chris Paul rocks the “Mardi Gras” CP3 II while he is defended by Mike Taylor who is wearing the Nike Zoom MVP.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, or “Illy” as I like to call him, clogged the middle like the after effects of eating a krispy kream burger. “Illy” was wearing the LeBron Soldier II and can be seen showing off his tremendous leaping ability.

Hilton Armstrong takes it back a bit and breaks out the adidas_1.1 Intelligence Basketball shoe. Is this a dead technology to be stashed away with Tech Flex, IPS and React Juice?

Raymond Felton shows off a real nice colorway of the TS Lightning Creator here.

DWade and fellow Converse athlete Udonis Haslem get down at the Heat’s annual Family Festival while showing off their love for J’s, as Dwyane rocks the ‘Grey Nurse’ Fusion V’s and ‘Donis busts out a pair of ‘Mars’ IV’s. And don’t forget Pat gettin’ down like usual!

At the McDonalds All-American High School game, all of the players got to rock the Iverson Answer XII. Here is Kenny Boynton Jr. rocking them.

But the content doesn’t stop there…. one of the most unique features we have ever put together is in this issue and it is called the Industry Insider. We interviewed 16 people in the industry who have amazing jobs and followed them through their childhood to what they are doing today. One guy that I have known for years told us a GREAT story – he started off in the mailroom at Reebok and moved all the way up to a position that allowed him to sign Iverson / Jay-Z / 50 and many others. And you might be surprised at what paths you can take to become a designer… it probably isn’t what you imagined.  Bottom line – these interviews show you a clear path to getting a job in the sneaker industry – and there is a common thread throughout…

Lastly, we have an Under Armour feature looking at their first steps into the runner category of the sneaker industry. It is real interesting to see how they are doing it, and there’s surely a lot of great info on a start-up sneaker company.

This issue is available on Eastbay.com now. It is a limited cover so they will be gone at some point in time. If you really want this cover you have a week before a huge e-mail blast goes out and then it will probably be all over for this cover on Eastbay. Click here to check it out on eastbay.com

Update: Click here to order this issue.

Read reviews here / talk about it here:

Lastly, we would like to extend a big thanks to our good friend John Shanley for his involvement in this issue, and his impact on the industry will be dearly missed. Much respect.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

A lot of things have happened since I last posted a Sneaker Watch but it’s okay things come and go all the time. Let’s just take a quick look at what’s happened over the last couple days in our precious NBA. The biggest news of late is probably the signing of Drew Gooden. The Spurs have picked him up after the Kings released him on Sunday. That’s a pretty big pick up and kind of funny to think that Drew Gooden will be backing up Matt Bonner. In other news, Carmelo Anthony is up to his old antics and found himself suspended one game which cost them a win against the Detroit Pistons last night. Enough news though, lets take a look at the kicks!

Marcus Camby wallows in self pity during the middle of the game but at least he has dropped those awful Shox for the Nike Huarache ’09.

Michael Finley plays D in the Air Jordan True Flight.

T.J. Ford finds himself in a crowd of defenders and in the adidas Lightning Creator.

Rudy Gay rocks the Nike Zoom Phenom while disrupting poor Luke Walton’s shot.

Richard Hamilton in the Air Jordan 6 Rings slides into the defense.

Spencer Hawes delivers the easy lay-in while rocking the adidas Fly By.

Josh Howard pulls the J in the Air Jordan Jumpman Team Pro.

Joe Johnson gets a P.E. Colorway in the Air Jordan 2009 that are reminiscent to a time when Black & Red Jordans meant something.

Kobe rocks his 4th Signature shoe from Nike during a missed play.

Pau Gasol one-ups his brother on the court with actual play and footwear. Both are wearing the Nike Hyperdunk but Pau’s gets that smooth Laker make-over.

Sasha Vujacic looks on from the bench area while wearing the Nike Blue Chip.

The original Joker gets a smooch from Happy Gilmore!

Even Ron Jeremy thought the kiss was questionable. That or he’s curious about how he can work it into a new movie. Andy Garcia is on the same page.

Adam Sandler watches the Lakers game in his Old Navy Jeans and his New Balance BB904 alongside classy Jack Nicholson.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

Steve Blake! Some of you might be asking yourself right now, who? SB is the point guard for the Blazers and recently made his return to the team after being injured for a few weeks. Sunday he tied the record for assists in one quarter, dropping 14 dimes to his teammates that included LaMarcus Aldridge, who would put up 28 points in the same game. Amare Stoudemire, while speculated to be shipped out of the Phoenix organization in a trade deal, eventually was kept around only to get injured and left out of the Suns rotation for at least eight weeks. Oops! You know I can’t end it without talking about LBJ dropping 55 on the Bucks. This guy is a scoring machine this year and can do it at will. If he shoots from behind the arc like he did against the Bucks (8-11), then the Man-child is unstoppable!

Now onto the shoes!

Chris Duhon commits to a move in an ID version of the Nike Shox Slam. These aren’t that bad looking in this color combination. Duhon and teammate “Krypto-Nate” stay gettin’ there Nike ID Credits!!!

Kevin “Skinny” Durant throws it down in his signature sneaker, the KD1.

Dwight, in the adidas TS Bounce Commander, takes a moment with his coach.

Allen Iverson is rocking the short cut with the permanent part and his Reebok Answer XII.

LeBron shows up in the Nike Zoom LeBron VI “Hardwood Classics.”

Bryant in the Kobe IV posts up Randy Foye in the Nike Hyperdunk.

David Lee keeps improving on his mid-range game and is doing so in the Nike Powermax.

Andre Miller in the adidas TS Pro Model goes for the up & under against the Nets.

Jamario Moon trades in the customs for a pair of Nike Blue Chips.

Hedo Turkoglu in the adidas TS Lightning Creator menacingly stares down his opposition.

Rasheed Wallace ditches the visible air-unit AF1 High for a much classier version here. You can’t go wrong with these beauties in a simple white and black colorway.

Deron Williams tries to shake off Rondo while wearing the Nike Zoom Phenom.

Michael Beasley is not only “Married To The Game” (left upper arm tat,) but I guess he has a thing for Bats too?

NY Yankee Pitcher CC Sabathia appears to be applying for the Glen “Big Baby” Davis look-alike job. If he can cry on command he’s a shoe-in.

words_Nick DePaula

images_Yahoo!Sports

All-Star Weekend is here! Most of the participating players arrived in Phoenix yesterday for media day, and lets take a look at what the players were wearing off-court for a change as they got in the mood for some High School Senior Yearbook styled pictures.

Kevin Durant kicks things off with a simple Polo and a pair of Olive Jordan Six Rings.

On the other hand, teammate Jeff Green goes for the epic fail with his favorite pair of flare jeans and a pair of Vans.

Green and teammate Russell Westbrook stop by for a chat with our main man Craig Sager, who happens to be rocking a sweet pair of multi-colored Nike Wildwoods.

Bad Thad does his best Gucci Mane impression.

Eric Gordon definitely has the most awkward smile in the league.

Chris Bosh FTW? He keeps it laid back with a clean shirt, easy denim and a pair of black Vans Old School.

Nate The Great! Too bad the added height here can’t help him in the Dunk Contest!

Don’t tell Pony, but Will The Thrill looks to be rockin’ a pair of Goadoames. A first in Phoenix?

Fellow Oregon alum Aaron Brooks might have on a nice pair of 1 Retro Highs, but damn is he giving Eric Gordon a run for his money! And c’mon guys, say NO to True Religion.

Who’s ready for awkward-out-of-place-orange chair time!!!?

Nate keeps it basic in black AF1 Lows, OJ shuts it down in the Creative Recreation Milano Hi, and King James goes for the kill Kanye-style in a pair of Louis sneakers.

Speaking of out of place, Marc Gasol, what the hell part of the game is that?

And speaking of awkward — Brook Lopez!!!!

Feel kind of bad for Amare Stoudemire. Not only is he on the brink of being shipped out of town the second Sunday’s All-Star game ends, but he also likely paid a decent amount of coin for this rather innovatively designed hoody. Way to keep it business casual.

It’s good to know Mike Beasley wasted no time in getting his endless suspect tats with the (Robert) Swiftness. He’s also trying to single-handedly keep America Cups alive!

Too close close-up time! Vol. Awful Hairline Edition!

Dunk Contest hopeful contestant expected loser Rudy Fernandez keeps with his Euro steez and a little hair gel action.

Mo Williams…Mo Problems!

Roger Mason goes with the political fit. Well done.

And now lets take a look at some shots from the practice session for the Rookie vs. Sophomore game as we get a sneak peak at the Nike Huarache 09′s and adidas TS Creator Lightning that the players will be wearing.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

Another All Star Game, another likely David vs. Goliath matchup. Chris Bosh will be sitting out the festivities and gets a replacement in Mo Williams, leaving the East’s big man game with an even smaller lineup. The West is stacked with height, coming as no surprise, and all I can hope for is at some point an entire West lineup that ceases to have anybody under the height of seven feet. Shaq taking over as point guard would be humorous to say the least. In related news, Rudy Gay is out of the Dunk Contest, bringing in J.R. Smith as the backup and we know that’s not a bad decision at all. That guy can get up! I also now have even less hope for Rudy Fernandez.

In Chicago, the Bulls honored their first ever Coach and legendary announcer Johnny “Red” Kerr at halftime with a ceremony dedicating him a statue, and he also received a lifetime achievement award from the Basketball Hall of Fame. Even Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were on hand for this tribute event. Some may not know, but Jordan was one of the first guys to do the chalk throw that King James has claimed as his own, and he would always clap his cloud right in front of “Red” at the scorer’s table. Last night, MJ did one last chalk  celebration just for old time’s sake.

On the trade deadline front, it’s looking highly unlikely that anybody at this stage of his career would take a chance on Shaq. Meanwhile, Suns owner Robert Sarver is stepping in and talking to people himself about getting rid of Amare Stoudemire, which is definitely decreasing any leverage Steve Kerr had in his talks with other teams. The most serious talks seem to be coming out of Chicago and Portland, as monstrous packages including Tyrus Thomas/Drew Gooden/Thabo Sefalosha/Draft Pick and LaMarcus Aldridge/Jerryd Bayless/Raef LaFrentz’s expiring contract are rumored to be the bait. I guess we will have to wait until the Feb. 19th deadline to see what happens, as there’s zero chance a trade for Stoudemire will come before Sunday’s All-Star Game in Phoenix.

Now…onto the pics!

Mike Bibby in the Air Jordan 2.5 Low lowers his head and barrels through Nick Young, who is rocking the Penny III Retro.

Joe Johnson is wearing the Jumpman Team Pro and looking like he’s trying out for the Atlanta Falcons Running Back position. Good tuck on the ball Joe!

Kobe in a new colorway of his signature Zoom Kobe IV gets horizontal with the rim.

Kyle Weaver in the Nike Hyperdunk hangs out in the expensive seats with some fans, one crazy looking dude and a lady offering him a soda.

Corey Maggette unleashes a monster dunk on the Knicks while wearing the adidas TS Commander.

Protege Teammates face-off against one another. Al Harrington takes the jumper in the A3H and Stephen Jackson defends the shot in the Jack1. Great kicks guys! We’re also ok with the fact that Al no longer wears #3, yet he stubbornly included it in his signature shoe’s name.

Johnny “Red” Kerr receives big honors during a half-time celebration for him.

Man, Lil’ Nate has got some hops. I wonder if it’s the LeBron VI helping him out? Based on the weight of the shoe, it’s highly unlikely.

Sheed in his Air Force 1 High backs down the defense in the low-post.

Can somebody get him a hamburger, protein shake or something? Damn, Kevin Durant is skinny as hell! You see him here in the lesser of two ugly colorways of the KD1.

We have seen the Nike Huarache ’09 all over our Sneaker Watch segments on guys like Tony Parker, O.J. Mayo, and even bigger players like LaMarcus Aldridge. Now you can pick up a pair to ball in for $109.99 at Eastbay Online. Should be a fairly good basketball shoe to play in too, with a lightweight leather upper with mesh insets, heel and forefoot Zoom Air and a herringbone traction outsole. If you guys have had a chance to play in them, drop a response and let the rest of us know what you think.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

Over the past few days, the Lakers defeated the Celtics and Cavs on their home courts, as the Celtics’ latest winning streak was snapped and the Cavs suffered their first loss at home. In more big news, the Celtics lost two at home to the top two teams from the West, Al Jefferson tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the season, David West has been suspended one game for his flagrant foul against Mike Miller, B.Roy hit the game winning shot in a great game against the Knicks, and I’ll be damned if there aren’t a whole ton of pics of what people were wearing on the court over the weekend. You’ll be saying WTF Ricky Davis! Although, I’m sure you’ve said it before if you’re anything like me. Onto the pics!

Andre Iguodala makes it through a slew of opponents while rocking the Nike Foamposite Lite.

Mike Bibby gets all wrist here in the Air Jordan 2.5 low.

Brian Cardinal commits the hard foul in the Air Zoom LeBron Soldier II. Yes – a Brian Cardinal sighting!

Ugh, Brook Lopez gets the board in the adidas Pro Model Fusion.

Caron Butler finds himself out of the Foamposite Lite and taking back up the Hyperdunk, what’s that about?

Apparently if your name is Antonio you are contractually obligated to wear this new “-rahna” shoe from adidas. Only McDyess and Daniels have worn these as of yet. As we know, “-rahna” shoes from adidas start with an “ill” and end in “rahna;” see Pilrahna & Thrillrahna. Based on Antonio Daniels’ pair below, I will dub these the “Trillrahna.”

Oh Ricky, who let Davis wear Air Jordan Fusion 5′s on the court?

“I’m watching you, underage girls.”

Kevin Durant finds himself in a predicament under the basket while rocking his signature Nike KD1.

Howard gives a little preview of what’s coming this Saturday, and does so in the adidas TS Bounce Commander.

Devin Harris rises for the jumper in the adidas TS Creator.

Josh Howard plays tough D in the Air Jordan True Flight.

Iverson & Nash match-up and so do their sneaks. Iverson is rocking the Reebok Answer XII while Nash wears the Nike Zoom MVP. If you take a closer look, you’ll notice Steve’s pair is actually lower than the low-cut GR MVP, and also goes sans heel pull tab.

Antwan Jamison is ballsy in the adidas TS Commander, going against three defenders.

A big battle between two headliners produced the Venom Kobe IV‘s and the Fairfax HS LeBron VI. If you look closely, you’ll notice that King James’ pair is autographed and Upper Deck authenticated in-game!

Kevin Martin is late to make a play while wearing a decent looking pair of the Air Jordan Pure Pressures.

Rasual Butler wears the white/yellow Reebok Talkin Krazy.

Nate Robinson re-ups the Nike BB II ID while Richardson shows some love in his PE Air Jordan 6 Rings.

Brandon Roy delivers another game winner, this time in the Nike Zoom Phenom.

Tsk tsk tsk, David West. He’s wearing the Nike Powermax by the way. But wait, is that a Jake Voskuhl sighting!!?

Marvin Williams gets the easy two in the Reebok Question Mid.

Thanks for sticking it out through all the pics!!!

What can I say? I’m a fan of the adidas Attitude Hi; I always have been. More specifically, I have always loved the Knicks colorway since the late eighties. In fact, the original NY colorway recently released as you might have read here. That pair isn’t available here however, so instead we have five quality replacements, especially if you’re looking to rep your hometown to the fullest. The five Attitude His are embellished with the colors and logos from the Nets, Knicks, Celtics, Raptors and the 76ERS.

Originally these were hitting for $84.99 and now they are available for only $59.99 in any of the team colorways. Notice the NY ones are fairly close to the actual original colorway with a few variations. I’d take the all-over-print  laces out right away, throw in some white ones and rock ‘em! You can pick all five of these up right at Eastbay Online. And, don’t forget to use the code IPEB9F75 for free shipping on orders $75 or more.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

I don’t have a lot to ramble on about here. We know that the Lakers defeated the Celtics, ending another long win streak for them, and they did it by one point in overtime. How bad is it that I had the game recorded but the recording stopped two minutes into the OT? That might be the most aggravating thing ever! LeBron put up 52 against the Knicks, putting New York’s two player point allowance over two games at a total of 113. Everybody also thought LBJ walked away with a triple double, but it turns out he was mistakenly given a rebound that Ben Wallace actually got. So no triple double for LeBron afterall! Let’s check out what’s on the court.

Ray Allen puts up the perfect jump shot in the Air Jordan Pure Pressure.

Deron Williams points to the culprit while wearing the now available Zoom Phenom.

Bibby puts up the J in a decent looking pair of the Air Jordan 2.5s.

There are all sorts of shoes here but the lower right hand corner focuses on Dirk’s Air Max Spot Up. Josh Howard is still in the 12.5, and I’m perplexed.

Derek Fisher defends in the Nike Powermax while teammate Lamar Odom does his usual nothing, but at least he’s wearing the Del Sol Kobe IV.

Gasol defends a tough assignment while wearing some really nice Hyperdunks.

Jay Z wears the Hare VIIs to come back to the Garden one day later and “witness” James slaughter the Knicks.

KG picks up the rock in his adidas TS Bounce Commander.

LeBron, in the Zoom LeBron VI, drives for two of his 52 points against the Knicks.

Spike Lee, in the N.Y. Spiz’ike, gets another front row seat to a Knicks loss.

Man, O.J. Mayo can’t even cut the kids a break! Here he is throwing this kid’s $**t. Oh, and wearing Hyperdunks off the court too.

While we’ve seen the Nike Zoom Phenom on the feet of several of Nike’s Young Guns over the past month, they haven’t been made available until today as they finally hit Eastbay.com. Retailing at a friendly price of $88, the Zoom Phenom combines the tooling of the Zoom Sharkley (inspired by the Shake Ndestrukt) with the upper of the Air Max CW, which is now referred to as the Air Max Sensation after CWebb seemingly bolted for nearly six different brands after Nike blessed him with a signature shoe. Just as we saw with the Nike Blue Chip, the Zoom Phenom is being made available in a few player exclusive colorways that feature the Young Guns’ ‘YG’ logo along the heel. You can snag up the same colorways being worn on-court by 2nd-time All-Star Brandon Roy, Jazz floor leader Deron Williams and Dunk Contest hopeful Rudy Gay for a couple bucks more due to the added stitching and personalization.

General Release – Black/Red:

General Release – White/Black/University Blue:

Deron Williams – White/Navy/University Blue:

Rudy Gay – Black/White/Del Sol/University Blue:

Brandon Roy – White/Varsity Red/Black & Black/White/Varsity Red:

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

I’m only kidding about Bynum from the excerpt! He did and does mean quite a bit to the team, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think Karmas a you-know-what though. Kobe might have had just a little bit to prove when people got down on his team once again because of the loss of Bynum. The Lakers will persevere, they still have a great team. Enough about Kobe though, as two All Star point guards were unfortunately injured in the days since the last SW.

Chris Paul was injured but is only listed as Day to Day, and it looks like New Orleans wants to hold him out until he is 100%, which shouldn’t be too long. On the other hand, our other injured PG is Jameer Nelson, and he will likely miss the rest of the season and his first time All Star bid if he elects for surgery. If he thinks he can hold off of surgery and stick it out he might be able to return to the hardwood several weeks down the road. Now onto the kicks…

Andre Iguodala makes his way under the basket in a nice pair of Nike Foamposite Lites.

Wilson Chandler must be liking his Ponys now as he stays rocking them.

LeBron takes out the Hardwood Classic Zoom Lebron VI for a game against the Raps.

Jay Z chills with the Ugly Betty girl while rocking the Busy P Air Force 1.

Richard Jefferson in the Nike Max Spot Up defends Vince Carter, who’s wearing the Nike Shox Gamer.

Bryant slips into the mostly black pair of the Kobe IV to unleash the fury on the Knickerbockers.

O.J. Mayo busts out a clean pair of the Huarache ’09s. I’m loving this colorway!

Before he was injured in this game, Chris had on the Air Jordan 6 Rings in a funky color.

Nate Robinson is funny, as he’s always wearing different kicks and this time he puts on the Nike BB II ID.

Brandon Roy puts up the shot in a decent looking pair of the Air Zoom Phenoms. Rasual Butler defends in the Reebok Talkin Krazy.

Spike Lee doesn’t know what to think in the NY Air Jordan Spiz’ike.

Good for him, as it appears John Starks is still alive.

And lastly, Tony Allen dunks the ball in the adidas Thrillrahna.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

Big news, Andrew Bynum gets a little bit of what he deserves after his horrendous hit the other night on Gerald Wallace. Bynum will likely miss up to 12 weeks after injuring his knee, with the earliest return to the hardwood after eight. It’s bad news for the Lakers, who would really miss him all the way down the second half of the season and into the playoffs. Okay that’s good for league news but what about Marvin Williams? My man goes from rocking the Reebok Question to straight up wearing the new Iverson Answer XII, in a pretty hot colorway might I add. Keep your eyes peeled for all of the Pure Pressures and Chris Paul taking a break from the XX3 for one night to debut the CP3 II.

Allen and Hamilton not only battle in play but with their kicks also. Allen is wearing the Air Jordan Jumpman Team Pro (on sale) while Hamilton rocks the AJ 6 Rings, respectively.

Ray Allen again, this time in the Air Jordan Pure Pressure.

Caron Butler puts it in Skinner’s face with the Nike Foamposite Lite.

*Warning* Dwight must watch out for his noggin when he goes for a slam dunk. He’s rocking his adidas TS Bounce Commander. (HINT- All Star colorways are available now)

Kevin Durant busts out his first signature shoe.

This kid is extra hard during the pose and his kicks kill the three goofball’s shoes. How you gonna let Howard do you like that? The young fan is rocking kids All Star XX3′s.

Rudy Gay delivers the dunk in the yet-to-be-released Zoom Phenom.

Jeff Green in the Nike Powermax shoots over John Salmons who is in the adidas Thrillrahna. You can also get a nice look at just how empty Arco Arena was!

Josh Howard takes it back a little bit and busts out the Air Jordan 12.5.

Iverson sports the Answer XII while LeBron defends him in the Zoom LBJ VI.

Al Jefferson is wearing the Reebok Pump Omni Hex Ride.

Jerryd Bayless drives to the hoop in the adidas TS Creator.

Joe Johnson backs down the defense in the Air Jordan 2.5.

Kobe gets off the awkward shot in his 4th signature shoe.

Kevin Martin drops the XX3′s with Paul and puts on the Air Jordan Pure Pressure.

Chris Paul debuts the CP3.II.

Marvin Williams throws down in the Reebok Iverson Answer XII.

Some have come to believe this to be one of the more lack luster retros of all time. Not because of the shoe but because of the little attention that was paid to the details of the original sneaker. This was a retro being waited on by many OG “heads” who were excited about its return but they were left disappointed by the final product. Funny thing is, it was a grab bag of collectors and average Jordan Brand consumers I saw picking these up. You can’t help the fact that with all of its mistakes, it’s still a good looking shoe. And, now you can get them for $89.99 at Eastbay. Hurry over there now and get free shipping on orders $75 or more.

Free Ship Code: IPEB9F75

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

The Lakers fell to the Bobcats last night in a 117-110 loss, but they didn’t do so without a dogfight. This was a highly physical game that led to a terrible injury for Gerald Wallace. G. Dub is a mainstay on Sneaker Watch with all the 6 Rings and Jumpman Team Pros he wears. He suffered from a 30-40% collapsed lung and a broken rib Tuesday night at the elbow of Andrew Bynum, who was issued a flagrant foul. In other news the trade deadline is coming up in a few weeks – what kind of team shakeups will we see across the NBA? We also complete the trio of Young Gunz rocking the new Zoom Phenom with Rudy Gay coming up last in his PE colorway.

Courtney Lee rises just enough over the rim to throw down in the Nike Blue Chip.

Raymond Felton in this super nice adidas TS Creator tries to defend Derek Fisher. Loving this colorway!

This is just a compromising photo of Sasha and Derek.

Here’s the best view we’ve seen of Rudy Gay’s Nike Zoom Phenom. All of the Young Gunz are wearing them.

Howard rises to the occasion, and you get a top view of his adidas TS Bounce Commanders.

“Something smells fishy.” It can’t be the home Kobe IV’s can it?

Rashard Lewis dwells on his life while wearing one of the best pairs of Nike Hyperdunks out there.

I love these pics of Marcin Gortat wearing Reeboks with the Jumpman logo right above the other brands sneakers.

On this play, Gerald Wallace is taken out by Andrew Bynum. Is that a slight smirk on Bynum’s face I see? In the replay it looks like he was happy at how hard he got him right after, but I don’t think his intent was to be malicious. I think he was just going for the hard foul, not to injure Wallace.

A better look at G. Dub’s 6 Rings.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

Well, Jordan Farmar finally returns to the Lakers squad and does so in a big way. He dropped 14 points in his return game after missing 17 due to injury. Melo is still sidelined but not without a little swagger jacking from Coach Dunleavy. There are also a few new pairs of unreleased sneakers on the floor this weekend, including Deron Williams’ Zoom Phenom and Tracy McGrady busts out the adidas TS Lightning Creator. Be on the look out for a pair of customs too, we saw them previously but this time we get a healthy helping of what they are all about.

Al Jefferson gets sky high for the full extension rebound in the Reebok Omni Hex Ride.

Amar’e Stoudemire in the Nike Foamposite Lite goes over multiple defenders.

Chauncey Billups takes on coaching duties while wearing the adidas TS Creator.

Chris Bosh grabs the board and is wearing the Nike Huarache ’09.

Carmelo Anthony warms up the sideline with a smile and this amazing blazer that he borrowed from Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy.

Kobe re-ups the MLK Jr. Kobe IV’s for a not so pretty game against the Spurs. Not pretty for the Spurs that is.

Kevin Martin rocks the Air Jordan XX3 Black & Purple joints with no regard for human life.

Marvin Williams comes out rocking the Reebok Question Mid and Joe Johnson is in the AJ Olympian respectively.

We saw these a while back from Jamario Moon, his custom BB II’s. Now we have a more detailed pic.

Steve Nash drives in the Zoom MVP, and Bibby loses his assignment but at least he’s wearing the Jordan Pure Pressure Low.

Big Baby’s mean looking doppleganger Nathan Jawai wears the Nike Sharkley.

Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol give each other some love for their wise choice in footwear. “I love your Hyperdunks,” said one emotional Gasol.

Tracy McGrady tries to navigate around 6 Rings-wearing Richard Hamilton, and does so in the adidas TS Lightning Creator.

Deron Williams shows off the Nike Zoom Phenom.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

So, Monday and Tuesday were pretty big days  for shoes. I think some other things happened that day too. Oh yea, celebrating a man who did nothing short of changing our lives and country for the better. Yesterday we celebrated the inauguration of Barack Obama, who is now officially our President of The United States of America. It was a couple proud days that we had back to back. I’m happy to report that the NBA and sneaker companies helped recognize these days too in a positive way. Jordan Brand released the Pure Pressures at House of Hoops while Kobe got special signature IVs on MLK Day. And 1 even jumped back in the game for a second with these.

Let’s take a look at some of what was on the court the past couple days, but first, the Huarache ’08 is finally fading out and making room for the ’09 and the Young Guns are wearing the Zoom Phenom now. On to the pics…

Mike Bibby wears the Jordan Pure Pressure Inauguration Day.

Joe Johnson also wears his special Inauguration Day Jordan Pure Pressures.

LeBron chills with the kids in some Nike Slide joints while watching the Inauguration speech. I see he goes Blackberry over iPhone; I figured him for an iPhone guy.

Tim Duncan is surely going for a bank shot while wearing his adidas TS Bounce Commander.

T.J. Ford wears a clean colorway of the adidas TS Creators against the Spurs.

Allen Iverson builds the anticipation for this long awaited release of the Reebok Answer XII.

Jared Jeffries, in the Jordan XX3 Low tries to defend Derrick Rose.

Kobe holds his injured finger in the Kobe IV MLK Day colorway.

LeBron breaks out the L.A. Zoom LeBron VI on Monday vs. L.A. of course. (Hint: look for the special editon Chalk version of the ZLBJ VI, just head through the link)

Anderson Varejao chills with Aleksandar Pavlovic on the stats table. One of my top five most hated NBA players, Varejao is in the Hyperdunks, and soon to join that list because of his proximity to Varejao is Pavlovic in a (thanks nben!) first series pair of the Pilrahna. Looks like Sasha took it back a bit on us!

Michael Redd is wearing the Nike Huarache ’09 while Brandon Roy wears the Zoom Phenom. Both pairs are unreleased as of now.

words_Nick DePaula

Just as the NBA’s best are undergoing the mid-year sneaker change-out and getting into the newest styles that brands have to offer like the Foamposite Lite and TS BOUNCE Commander, lets take a look back through what many players have been wearing during the first half of the season, and more specifically, focus in on the players who switched brands since last season. While most players simply switched companies as their previous contracts ran out, or in Kevin Love’s instance, felt the need to jump ship after only a few months with a brand, the biggest shift this season has definitely been the on-court presence of several Chinese sneaker brands like PEAK and Li Ning, who most notably signed Jason Kidd and Baron Davis, respectively.

Lets jump right on in and take a look at who switched it up for this season. Who were you most surprised to see make a change?

The biggest surprise this off-season in the sneaker world was when Jason Kidd announced just a day after the Olympics had ended that he would be leaving Nike for PEAK. Not that the shoes are to blame, but he hasn’t been having his best season so far.

While he’s already been starring in commercials, Kevin Love didn’t quite have sneaker companies lining up for his services before draft day. After originally signing a merchandise deal with adidas and wearing the Thrillrahna to start the season, he’s since switched to a similar deal with Nike and has been rocking the Powermax.

Andre Miller was a steady Converse guy for the past several seasons, but this year he’s been found in the Stripes’ latest Pro Model Fusion.

Meanwhile, (underachieving) teammate Elton Brand left Nike Basketball and set a record of some sort by receiving his first signature shoe a decade into his career with the Converse EB1.

Either it’s not worth posting individual pictures of these guys or you can take it as a special two-in-one bonus picture, but here we have Brent Barry switching from Reebok to Nike while rocking the Powermax and Chuck Hayes ditching the Li Ning coin for Nike’s Blue Chip. (As another added bonus, check out Mike Beasley’s latest terrible ink! Looks like JR Smith has about 8 more months of holding the reigns ’cause BEasy is quickly catching up.)

He’s still Pony’s main man, but for a brief period of time, Wilson Chandler was sporting the Nike Hyperdunk to start the season. There’s an AMAZING story behind the temporary switch, but we’ll have to leave that for another day.

I still stand by my belief that Reebok will regret letting Gerald Green go, as once dude learns how to move without the ball and picks up some defensive principles he’ll be a stud. Nevertheless, Reebok decided to let the cupcake fan’s contract simply expire, and GMoney was quickly hooked up with an assortment of TB kicks from Nike.

As former teammates on the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington put their heads together and launched their very own footwear company, Protege. Jackson left adidas and Al traded in his Nikes, and I will say, they’ve been rocking some pretty smooth kicks all season long with affordable pricing in mind. Well done fellas.

To further drive home the point that And1 is having some hard times, longtime faithful endorsee Bobby Jackson has even left the brand, and has stuck to Nike’s BB2 Low or the Air Jordan XX3 Low for most of the season. Looks like And1 is down to Monta Ellis, Steve Blake, Marquis Daniels and Rafer Alston on its NBA roster, which is unfortunate considering in 2002 they held claim to 20% of the league and 7 NBA All-Stars.

While his most memorable times were certainly with Fila, Grant Hill was more recently wearing adidas for the past few seasons, and just this year he made the switch to the Nike Hyperdunk.

With Gerald Green and Brent Barry leaving, Reebok’s roster seemed to be thinning out a bit this season, but then word hit that the entertaining Baron Davis had jumped ship too, leaving for the riches Li Ning had to offer.

Longtime adidas wearer Antonio McDyess suddenly began rocking Nike this year and the Shox TB Slam. Number of people who noticed? Me and the team equipment manager.

Somehow the Cavs are off to an amazing start as they try their damndest to keep the King happy. A main part of their success has been the steady play of Mo Williams, who recently switched from adidas to Nike and can be seen nightly in the Hyperdunk. Ben Wallace can also be seen sans Starbury Big Ben in a pair of the Nike Blue Chip.

In giving us his best MJ impression, KD takes his $60 Million Nike bucks to the bank and tries to stylishly obstruct his league mandated adidas tee, while still showing that he cares during this NBA charity function.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

Mehmet Okur went off against Indiana dropping 43 points. There weren’t any good pics of his sneaks but that doesn’t mean he didn’t kill, all on 19 shots too. Bibby decides that the 6 Rings just weren’t cutting it so he switched up in the middle of the game. What could he have switched to? I’ll keep this one short and sweet like my good friends sister and just warn you guys that there will be a special edition of Sneaker Watch on Friday. So make sure you come back for that!

Bibby starts out in the Air Jordan 6 Rings but it wouldn’t be long before a switch.

Here we catch Bib10 wearing the Air Jordan XXI Low in the OG black/red colorways. Interesting switch, no?

KG is emphatic with emotion while wearing the adidas TS Bounce Commander. We’ll go ahead and assume a series of multi-syllabic cursing ensued shortly after.

Spencer Hawes is attempting to stop the Dwight Howard, while rocking the adidas Thrillrahna.

LeBron James gets the reverse dunk in his all black Zoom LeBron VI.

Matt Barnes [Edit by Nick: SAC TOWN'S FINEST!!!] is a very aggressive defender, even in the big man’s adidas TS Commander.

Darius spells demise for the Blazers roster next season if he plays in just one more game this year. He has also joined the Hyperdunk revolution.

Nash gets around in his new shoe, the Zoom MVP. Look closely and you’ll notice that his pair is even lower than the GR and sans heel inner bootie.

Jameer Nelson gets the easy bucket in the Converse Assist.

Greg Oden ripped Drew Gooden apart and has on a better pair of the Nike Powermax.

Chris Paul & Jared Jeffries square off in papa XX3 & baby XX3.

Tayshaun Prince was saved by the Holy Ghost in the Nike Shox Gamer.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

So former Jordan Brand guy and now Blazers President, Larry Miller, blasted the other 29 GMs of the NBA with an email late last week warning no team to sign Darius Miles or you could be facing some legal action. Some have found this to be quite ridiculous, while others are confused and still more think the Blazers might have a point. It is actually a pretty interesting situation, and sheds some light on the inside of the league and how it works. Check out more on the situation here. Best believe it – we’ll be keeping tabs on what Darius breaks out on court during his two expected cameos in the coming weeks!

In more sneaker related news, Kevin Durant finally wears his Signature shoe on the court. You can catch the home and away colors down below. Wade and Kobe collide, creating a bloody mess, and more and more guys are starting to wear the Foamposite Lite. After seeing them in person recently, I’m kind of impressed. (Hmm…Does that mean there’s an upcoming review from Nick?) They look like they might be a good ball shoe.

Now onto the pics!

C.J. Watson doesn’t defend too well against T.J. Ford on this play, but he is rocking the DEAL OF THE WEEK sneaker. Mr. Ford is wearing the adidas TS Creator in a very cool colorway might I add.

Tim Duncan intimidates smaller guards in the adidas TS Bounce Commander, or maybe Jameer just wants to feel that buttery leather upper?

Kevin Durant finally gets to wearing his signature shoe. This weekend he broke out the home and away version.

Hedo Turkoglu is wearing an og color of the adidas TS Lightspeed.

Andre Iguodala is in the Foamposite Lite and drives by Joe Johnson in the 6 Rings.

Jamal Crawford is very happy about his Reebok ATR Voyages, but look at the excitement radiating from Corey Maggette over his adidas TS Commanders.

Kobe must have really liked the show TOOL ACADEMY last night. So much so he and Wade reenacted a scene from it. For those keeping score at home, Wade would be Mega in this situation.

Marco Belinelli switches out of the Black Cat IIIs to the BB IIs for this game.

In an odd turn of events, he gets hurt in the BB’s, when I clearly thought it would be the other way around.

Shawn Marion rocks the Nike Hyperdunk.

Lamar Odom looks like he just got out of a video shoot for his new country song.

Rashard Lewis busts out the Foamposite Lite also.

Dwyane Wade still refuses to wear the Wade 4 as he guards Kobe Bryant, who’s wearing the Home Kobe IV.

We all wish the OG black pair of the Zoom Flight Five would retro, well, at least I wish it would.  In the meantime, Nike released the OG white pair this past summer instead, which is definitely a nice release itself. While the shoes got much love back in ’97, I most remember back in the day when J. Kidd wore them and was delivering the sickest dimes on the planet. I had to have a pair of the black ones, and I actually remember getting two pairs from Nordstrom Rack back then.

Along with the white pair, a new colorway in black/cool grey was released this last year. Both of these are now available with decent sizes left over at Eastbay. The original price on this retro was $124.99 and now they are only $79.99. Get’em while you can!

$79.99 Nike Air Zoom Flight Five B

White/Midnight Navy/Met Silver

Black/Black/Cool Grey

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

Big news on the court comes from LeBron James, who busts out the Superman Zoom LeBron VI. I don’t know how many pairs that is now but I know it can’t be all of them. I can’t wait to see what he rocks come the playoffs or even the NBA Championship, maybe? Besides that, Kobe goes Carpe Diem on them with teammate Trevor Ariza in tow and I even let Brian Skinner get some love in this edition of Sneaker Watch. In sad news, Charles Barkley has opted to sit out a few weeks from commentating on TNT. Unfortunately it probably stems from his recent DUI issues but at least it seems like the people at TNT are behind him and his decision. COME BACK CHUCK!!!

Kobe F’s some stuff up in the Carpe Diem Kobe IV.

Brian Skinner of the Clips wears the Nike Powermax.

Andrew Bynum joins the Foamposite Lite team, but is rocking a GR colorway.

Dirk gets his Jordan (tongue out) defense on in the Air Max Spot Up.

Dwight Howard follows the ball to the rebound in the adidas TS Bounce Commander.

Gasol rocks some amazing, amazing Hyperdunks.

Jerryd Bayless rocks the adidas TS Creator.

LeBron is no Superman here getting dunked on, but his Zoom LeBron VIs are.

Joe Johnson gets up in the Air Jordan Jumpman Team Pro.

Travis Outlaw is wearing the TS Commander, and this is right before his game winning shot.

words_Keith Kunis

images_Yahoo!Sports

So the big news over the last couple days has to be Antoine Walker heading down the Barkley path, Melo getting hacked out of play for 3-4 weeks and the Celtics losing in overtime to the Charlotte Bobcats. I’ve actually been quite happy for Denver over the course of this season, as Chauncey came in and clicked with the team right out of the gate. It sucks for them to lose Melo. Antoine, you are golden, don’t worry about ‘nothing I fully expect to see you behind some analysis desk very soon. Celtics you are S.O.L. I know they will come back hard, but jheez what a slide.

On the court we get to see some shine from Josh Howard pulling out the Air Jordan VIII PEs, and Caron Butler is doing the Foamposite Lite some justice. I’m loving his PE colorways in that shoe. Also below, take a look at who’s borrowing Kobe’s shoes now and why does DeShawn Stevenson never cease to amaze me?

Antoine Walker got nabbed for drunk driving a couple nights ago. Too bad, so sad. I’ll never give up my Celtics authentic though, as you never know, he might go back again.

Bobby Jackson loses his man but at least he looks cool in the XX3 Lows.

Michael Finley sneaks a pair of all Black Air Jordan 6 Rings into the pic.

Injured Melo rests on the sidelines in his Melo M5.

Tim Duncan approaches the basket head down and adidas TS Bounce Commander on.

Last year it was Ronny Turiaf borrowing Kobe’s shoe stock, this year Trevor Ariza has replaced him, wearing the same Kobe IV as Kobe every night.

Caron Butler shows off another impressive color of the Foamposite Lite. House of Hoops better get some of these colorways, because they trump all the GRs.

What a Boss!!!

Josh Howard breaks out a pair of Air Jordan VIIIs in last year’s PE colorway.

O.J. Mayo goes up Lefty in the Nike Hyperdunks.

Nicky Hilton hosts a freeloader at a Lakers game, and he’s wearing a pair of the new Nike SB Purple Suede Blazers.

Chris Paul catches his breath in his PE Air Jordan XX3.

Oh DeShawn Stevenson, a bow tie and Vans, really?

I hate the guy but got damn I respect his game, and David West impresses even the haters in the Nike Powermax. Side note – Pau Gasol was wearing the Powermax also but it seems he has changed over to the Hyperdunk. Two completely different shoes. That’s a pretty interesting decision half-way through the season.

Here you guys go, remember that Players aren’t the only hard workers on the court.

I’m starting something a little bit new here for you guys. I’m going to be on the prowl for all of you readers out there trying to find you a deal on some pretty sweet sneakers. For this very first one I had to go for the low-top version of one of the Top Sneakers of  ’08, the Air Jordan XX3. This low top version comes in two different colors including the sweet all black pair and the white & navy colorway. I believe we might even catch Bobby Jackson wearing the black pair in Sneaker Watch tomorrow.

Anyway, you don’t have long before the Air Jordan 2009 comes out and if you missed your opportunity to pick up on some of November’s XX3 releases you can still get these bad boys. Original retail cost on these was $134.99 and you can get them now for only $99.99 at EASTBAY.com.

This new pack from Reebok consists of three sneakers. All three carry very similar uppers that include premium leathers, nubuck and synthetics. They all come in a black & hyper green colorway with only the Insta Pump Fury adding a little bit of white to the midsole. Another feature on all of the sneakers is a snake skin texture located on the overlay pieces of the Omni Lite and Graphlite and on the underlay of the Pump Fury.

Check out each of these sneakers now at the EASTBAY VAULT. A little heads up too, they will be receiving the Nike Dunk Destroyer pack very soon.

Pump Omni Lite

Insta Pump Fury

Pump Graphlite