Tag: Nike

PE Corner: LeBron James in patent LeBron XXIs 

Brandon King

LeBron James took this Player Exclusive edition of his LeBron XXI in a recent late season game. They sport a magenta patent leather upper; white embroidery on the underside of the lateral Swoosh allows the branding to come forward. The branding on the medial side offers a more traditional appearance, as it is white-bordered and segmented.  A LeBron signature appears on the tongue with “XXI” branding present on the lace dubrae and rear heel.  Underneath resides a fuschia midsole and matching translucent rubber outsole.  As often the case with the…

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PE Corner: IT rocks Suns-inspired Kobe VIII Protro

Brandon King

In a late season game recent and long overdue NBA signee Isaiah Thomas took the court in this Phoenix Suns-based colorway. It sports various shades and tones of purple throughout its engineered mesh upper. Orange appears at the Swooshes on the lateral and medial sides, Kobe logo on the tongue and rear heel, the Kobe signature on the external heel counter and the inner. Below resides a grey midsole and matching rubber outsole.  As with most of the kicks highlighted in PE Corner, there are no indications of a planned…

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”Masterpiece” Kobe IX Protro coming back in 2025

Brandon King

Good news for Kobe fans, and unfortunately the death profiteers as well.  The “Masterpiece” Kobe IX Elite is making its return in 2025 in Protro form.  Although there are no images of the 2025 version, but what we should see is a black and multi-color knit upper with reflective Swooshes on the medial and lateral sides. Volt can be seen on the tongue, below a red Kobe signature . In the top of the rear heel reads “KB” and “NINTH”; below this is 9 horizontal marks which both allude to…

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Kevin Durant breaks out KD 17

Brandon King

Though images have been circulating of the KD 17 for several weeks, the man himself, Kevin Durant took them to the court in Game 1 of the Suns opening round Western Conference playoff series.  They feature an-black aesthetic ( a possible wear test sample?) with the clear translucent KD logo on the tongue offering the only sibilance of visual variety.  A black midsole and matching rubber outsole completes the monochromatic look.  As it currently stands the KD 17 is planned to debut May 24 at nike.com and select retail venues.…

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Nike to layoff 740 WHQ workers

Staff

Courtesy of Shosy Ciment, Footwear News Nike‘s layoffs at its Beaverton, Ore. headquarters will have impacted hundreds of employees by June, according to a WARN notice filed with the state of Oregon on Friday.  Nike said in the filing that by June 28, 740 employees will have been let go as part of two rounds of layoffs. Nike confirmed that it was laying off 2 percent of its workforce in February. And as early as November, several Nike employees had taken to LinkedIn to share they were laid off from the company amid a broader…

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Are we seeing a Wemby 1 Prototype?

Brandon King

With the recent unveiling of Victor Wembanyama’s logo, it stands to reason that a signature shoe for the San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom is already in the works or will be in short order.  The coming of that signature shoe could be sooner rather than later if recent video can be taken seriously. A brief video via kicksvisionofficial, shows an A.I.R. ( Athelte Inspired Revolution ) prototype of a potential Wembyama sneaker. The laceless design invokes the visual of the Air Flightposite and 2001’s Air Signature Player with a knit sleeve.…

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Caitlin Clark nearing eight-figure deal with Nike

Brandon King

The no.1 overall pick in this week’s WNBA Draft, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, is reportedly close to finalizing an endorsement deal with Nike, according to The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania.  Charania adds there are plans for a signature shoe for Clark.  The Iowa State star has been a media darling for most of the season and throughout the NCAA Tournament. Even after Iowa was defeated in the national championship game 87-75 to Dawn Staley’s undefeated South Carolina team, Clark made the rounds on many outlets, including an appearance on…

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PE Corner: KD breaks out another one

Brandon King

title image via hkd_35 Earlier this week against the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns star forward Kevin Durant took to the court in yet another PE of his KD 16 sneaker.  This multi-color sneaker sports a purple weave upper overlaid with orange. Red support wings are present on both the lateral and medial sides, with a blue tongue and inner adding to the multi-hued aesthetic.  KD logos sit on each tongue, completing an upper that resides atop a fuschia-speckled bone midsole and rubber outsole.  As with so many Player Exclusives,…

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PE Corner: Tyrese Halliburton’s Kobe V Protro

Brandon King

title image via nbakicks Tyres Haliburton took these striking Kobe V Protro PEs to the court in a recent Pacers game.  As can be seen they sport a grey synthetic upper tipped in yellow at the toe. Black Swooshes adorn the lateral and medial sides, with yellow showing up at the tongue as well as the exteranl heel cup. Light blue shows up at the inner, completing an upper that sits atop a yellow and white midsole as well as a translucent rubber outsole.  Although there is no doubt these…

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PE Corner: The “LSU” Nike Ja 1

Brandon King

title image via sneaker_rizhi This Nike JA 1 was made for the LSU Basketball program. It sports a purple mesh foundational layer overlaid with leather of the same color at the toe and flanking the forefoot. The golden Swoosh wraps around to the lateral and medial sides.  Ja and LSU branding can be seen on each respective tongue, with additional branding for each entity also seen on the white textile heel wraps. Morant’s number 12 also has its home on the leather rear heel overlay.  Underneath the aforementioned upper lies…

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