Tag: Nike

Jordan Brand makes Carmelo Anthony a Baltimore-inspired 1-of-1 shoe

Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony is set to receive a one-of-a-kind shoe from Jordan Brand that is inspired by his Baltimore ties.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony has had a decorated career. He is a 10-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA and a scoring champion. He has played with six NBA organizations, including 14 combined seasons with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.

Despite moving around, one thing has remained constant in Anthony’s career: his deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand. He is the longest-serving member of the brand’s roster, according to the Baltimore Sun, having spent every year since his rookie season in 2003.

Jordan Brand announced the Air Jordan 1 Low “Baltimore Crab,” a Baltimore-inspired one-of-a-kind shoe for Anthony. The shoe is an homage to Anthony’s roots in the city, with nods to Old Bay seasoning, crabs and Anthony’s career (h/t @Baltimore Sun Sports):

The shoes are orange and brown with a light blue Swoosh. They also come in a clear box with some of the forward’s career highlights written on it.

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SPECIAL DELIVERY: Social Status and Nike might have the best sneaker of the year

This is one of the most meaningful sneakers you’re going to see.

There have been a number of good sneakers that have come out in 2021. You could list them all.

The Union Jordan 4, the A Ma Maniere Jordan 3, the ‘What The Paul’ SB Dunks. And that’s just the top of the list.

But none of them feel quite as excellent as Social Status’ new Chocolate Milk Dunks from its new Free Lunch collection. These Dunks are incredible. The details are phenomenal. The materials are unmatched.

But what makes them even better is the story they come with.

They were inspired by the National School Lunch Act — the program that has provided children from low income households with free lunch for decades.

James Whitner, the designer of the shoe and the owner of Social Status, was one of those kids. And he’s using these sneakers to tell us that story.

You can hear more about it in this week’s episode of Special Delivery where Sykes and crew unbox the Chocolate Milk dunk.

Phil Knight and former Nike execs launch NIL company for Oregon student-athletes

Phil Knight and other Oregon donors formed Division Street, a sports venture to assist Ducks student-athletes in monetizing their NIL.

Several prominent University of Oregon donors, including Phil Knight, Pat Kilkenny, and Jim Morse announced the formation of Division Street, Inc. – a sports company that will assist Oregon Ducks student-athletes in monetizing their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

Sabrina Ionescu, the women’s basketball star and among the most popular athletes in the country, will serve as Chief Athlete Officer. She will serve as a senior advisor to the Division Street team and will “ensure the voice of the athlete is at the center of all the company’s work,” according to an article at Forbes.

“As an athlete navigating the world of brand and partnerships myself, I see a real opportunity to provide today’s college players more professional counsel as they grapple with the new NIL landscape,” Ionescu said. “I’m excited that Division Street also sees that need and is bringing together an all-star team to address this for Oregon. I’m also very passionate about ensuring diversity in gender and sport, and that will be part of my focus in this new role.”

The company will be headed up by CEO Rosemary St. Clair, the former VP and GM of Nike Women, while former Nike VP of Sports Marketing Rudy Chapa will serve as Chairman of the Board.

“Student-athletes have a full plate, and figuring out how to monetize their brands is an incredible challenge,” said St. Clair. “Our team has spent decades building the brands of the world’s best athletes, and we will use that experience to elevate NIL opportunities by bringing in leading expertise across brand, marketing, sponsorship, digital and creative to support all Oregon student-athletes, inclusive of every sport and across gender.”

Oregon student-athletes have already begun exploring the new world of monetizing NIL, with Kayvon Thibodeaux leading the charge with a new cryptocurrency, as well as partnerships with Nike, United Airlines, PlantFuel, and Starface.

In addition to working directly with student-athletes at Oregon, Division Street is also partnering with UO’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Center and the School of Journalism and Communication, as part of the Sport and Wellness Initiative and the newly formed Oregon Accelerator – which is a student-led marking collective which focuses on maximizing the NIL earning potential for Oregon student-athletes.
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Penn State featured in new Nike footwear collection

Nike offers Penn State ways a way to show off your Nittany Lions pride on your feet

If you or someone you know is looking to support Penn State and get a new pair of shoes, then the folks at Nike may have you covered.

Penn State has been a long-time Nike partner, as you may already know. And we’ve come a long way from the days when the idea of a Nike swoosh on the Penn State uniform was seen as sacrilegious to some, or many. Heck, some may still roll their eyes at the idea. But there is no question Nike has been very good to Penn State with their uniform and equipment agreement over the years.

Now, fans can get a pair of Nike shoes that shows off their pride in the Nittany Lions.

Before the start of the college football season, Nike has unveiled their new Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38 line, which features some of their top college brands. Among those popular brands, of course, is none other than Penn State.

At first, seeing them, they look amazing, and the design and the colors look amazing. Will you be lacing up in a pair of these in time for your next Penn State tailgate?

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Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

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SPECIAL DELIVERY: Why Nike’s Off-White “Dear Summer” collection was so disappointing

Virgil can do so much better.

Virgil Abloh is not only one of the best designers at Nike — he’s one of the best designers in the world.

He’s the artistic director at Louis Vuitton, he gave us Off-White and he gave us an absolute hit collection of sneakers with “The Ten” at Nike. That’s the thing that really started it all for him.

So, of course, the bar is high for Virgil. And that’s why so many are disappointed with his latest collection “Dear Summer” collection with Nike.

There were 50 pairs of Dunks that were almost exclusively the same colors with a few variations on accessories between them. And that’s just not good enough for a Virgil Abloh project.

Sykes and the crew explain why it was so disappointing in this week’s episode of Special Delivery. You don’t want to miss this.

Tap in.

James Bouknight signs endorsement deal with Nike

The No. 11 pick in the 2021 NBA draft has signed with the Swoosh.

The No. 11 pick in the 2021 NBA draft has chosen checks over stripes.

Hornets rookie James Bouknight has signed an endorsement deal with Nike, Bouknight told Nick DePaula of Boardroom.

“I’m super excited to announce that I’ve signed with Nike,” Bouknight told Boardroom. “Honestly, for as long as I can remember I’ve been wearing Nike. Growing up, hoopin’ in KD’s, hoopin’ in Kyrie’s, hoopin’ in Kobe’s. UConn was a Nike Elite school, I honestly couldn’t see myself as anything other than a Nike athlete.”

The Hornets have a variety of shoe endorsement deals across the roster with LaMelo Ball signed with Puma, Gordon Hayward with Anta, Kelly Oubre Jr. with Converse, etc.

Check out the full announcement below.

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Nike sent a customer a pair of left shoes in the most heartbreaking sneakers story

YIKESSSS

Getting a W on Nike’s SNKRS app has to be one of the more invigorating feelings as a sneakerhead.

I mean, the odds are so stacked against you from the jump. You enter into their drawing with thousands — maybe millions — of other customers for a pair of sneakers. None of you have any clue how many pairs are available or what might be available in your size.

You just know you want the shoes. And that you probably might not get them. That’s why I was so pumped after the long road to my first W.

In between the W’s, though. There are plenty of L’s. There are plenty of Saturday mornings when you just wonder “why do I keep doing this?” And you don’t really have a great answer for it. It’s not a great feeling.

But as bad as that feels, though, there is something worse.

Imagine catching a W on the app only to get your shoes and find out that you can’t actually wear them. That’s what happened to one customer who got two left shoes from Nike.

Edoardo Marzialetti copped the grey Sacai x Fragment x Nike Waffle Runners — this is not an easy shoe to get by any means!

And he can’t even wear them.

BIG YIKES. That is absolutely heartbreaking. A total gut punch.

It’s one thing to not get the correct shoes. But for Nike to only offer him a return and a discount code? That really hurts, y’all.

He can’t just buy them again — they’re sold out on Nike’s app and aren’t readily available anywhere. They also resell for around $300 on the secondary market, so buying them would mean having to pay above retail which no one wants to do.

This is just an all-around awful situation. My heart goes out to this man. I cannot imagine this pain.

Watch our sneaker unboxing series, Special Delivery

SPECIAL DELIVERY: Nike leans into fashion over function with the Air Max 2021

Fashion over function for the latest in the Air Max lineage.

The Air Max line has gone some pretty huge shifts over the last few years.

The origin of the line is rooted in functionality. The Air Max 1 was born as a running shoe with a lifestyle touch to it as a result of the colorful touch Tinker Hatfield put on it.

The Air Max models that succeeded it followed that same blueprint. The Air Max 90, 95, 96, 97 and most other OG models from the line have some sort of function to them.

But that’s changed in recent years. The line has shifted to a fashion over function mentality, and that has never been more evident than it is with the brand new Air Max 2021.

This thing is built for one purpose: Looking cool. Sykes and the Special Delivery crew dive into that theme in the latest episode and ask the crucial question of whether the line has strayed too far from its roots.

Tap in.

Nike’s SNKRS app broke the internet again with the Travis Scott Jordan 1 Low release

Here we go again.

Ah, a tradition unlike any other. A Friday morning with thousands of upset sneakerheads across the world taking their anger out on Nike’s SNKRS app. You absolutely love to see it.

Friday’s target was Travis Scott’s brand new Jordan 1 lows and, man, were these things ever going to be difficult to get.

Nike only stocks a few thousand pairs of NRG Jordan collaborations like this. They’re rare and exclusive. But there were literally millions of people anticipating these things releasing all summer.

When you add all of that up, what do you get? A ton of sneakerheads with broken hearts. It’s incredible.

Folks were so upset on the internet about an L they absolutely knew was coming.