The summer of 2012 was a very special one for the sneaker world. With the Summer Olympics this year, sneakerheads knew there was a lot of heat to look forward to. The Summer of 2012 would bring the launch of the Air Yeezy 2, which alone is enough to make this summer one of the better summers for sneaker releases in a long time. Read More »

I grew up with basketball shoes on the brain. When the catalogs arrived in the mail, it was to the hoops section I turned first. It was never a brand thing, as I played in Nikes, Reeboks and adidas. One season I even kicked it around in New Balance (I was once a skeptic at first, too). But in many ways, Nike has driven the basketball sneaker dialogue in my lifetime, which isn’t a whole lot longer than its recent countdown of its 20 most iconic designs of the past 20 years. Why this time frame when Air Jordan 1s were released in 1985? Because the original Dream Team came in 1992, and helped push not only sneakers to a wider audience, but globalized basketball’s visibility. Of those 20, from the Air Force 180 Low to Hyperdunk+, here are our rankings for the most iconic of the bunch. Read More »

With the Olympics set to begin, we’re hoping you have your jerseys, your kicks and your snacks all picked out. Despite winning all of their friendly games over the past few weeks, Team USA will face some stiff competition in London. But as always, they’ll have some hot sneakers no matter what. The Nike Zoom KD IV “USA” Edition is dropping tomorrow for a modest price of $95. The upper is mainly synthetic, and sports accents in both red and obsidian. The bolt traction rubber outsole is also obsidian while the midsole continues the white upper. Read More »

This piece was originally printed in Dime #69. Check the magazine for the entirety of this feature…

With the NBA season rapidly coming to a close, there’s a good chance your team crashed and burned before making a deep run in the playoffs. Laker fans probably realize they’re on the cusp of a new age, a time that doesn’t include a trip to the Finals every year. Chicago watched its season fall apart with Derrick Rose’s season-ending knee injury. And we don’t even need to talk to Charlotte, Washington or Sacramento fans, if there are any. We can feel their pain. Read More »

While he may still be coming off the bench for Team USA, Kevin Durant will be one of the two or three most important players for Team USA in this summer’s Olympic games. With all of the high pick-n-rolls the team will be running with Chris Paul, stick Durant on the weak side and watch him reign deep balls whenever the defense tries to collapse too far. His sweet stroke won’t be the only thing sticking out about him either. The OKC star will also have some hot kicks. Read More »

Over the weekend in Smack, we told y’all about the newest release of the Nike Zoom KD IV that’s meant to honor Kevin Durant and his scoring title this season. Read More »

No one knows what to expect on the court tonight. OKC could come out and throttle Miami like the did in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Lakers, or the Heat could ride their Game 7 momentum directly into a Game 1 shocker. LeBron and Durant will probably spend parts of the night matched up against each other, and I’m sure D-Wade and Westbrook will also be taking turns going mano-e-mano. However, KD gave us a big clue yesterday on one thing: what sneakers he’ll be wearing. Read More »

Kevin Durant always takes care of his own. Back in the day when we put him on our cover as a Texas freshman, he refused to do the shoot unless the other starters were on with him. Now with the drop of the Nike Zoom KD IV, he’s giving back to the school again in the form of some “University of Texas” edition sneakers. These are impossible to get in the U.S. for now, but are expected to eventually drop here. There is no word yet on a release date, and for now, they’re strictly an Asia release. If you’re feeling lucky, go cast a bid on eBay. Read More »

The Air Jordan 2012 isn’t the only new shoe creating some killer hype. Nike Basketball recently released photos for Orlando special editions for three of their largest names: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. These look extra dope just because of their uniqueness. Nike says the sneakers took their inspiration from a supernova – arguably the most powerful force in the universe – while the outsoles glow in the dark and individual ‘mission patches’ adorn each shoe as a nod to the accolades astronauts receive. Read More »

To celebrate the 36th anniversary of Black History Month, Nike is releasing a collection of new footwear and apparel styles that’ll surely have people foaming at the mouth. The limited edition footwear from Nike Basketball and Nike Sportswear is meant to honor the achievements and pioneering spirit of three important teams: 1996 USA Basketball Women’s team, 2002 Brazil Men’s Soccer team, and the 2008 Kenyan Long-Distance running team. Read More »