Tag: Nike

Kobe Bryant’s estate could be launching its own brand and that’s awesome

The Bryant estate is taking the power into their own hands.

It really looks like this might be the end of Kobe Bryant’s signature sneaker line with Nike.

On Tuesday, news broke that Kobe Bryant’s deal with Nike had expired in April after 18 years of being together. They couldn’t agree to terms on an extension with Vanessa Bryant and Kobe’s estate.

There were several reasons they couldn’t agree to terms, according to reporting from ESPN’s Nick DePaula.

Vanessa Bryant had reportedly become frustrated with how limited the availability of Bryant’s shoes had been during his retirement and after his death.

It looks like she might be able to fulfill that promise — it just might not be with Nike.

Apparently, the Bryant estate has already filed trademarks on for footwear, apparel, and multiple logos, per Nice Kicks.

Included in that list is “Kobe Bryant,” Bryant’s signature, “Mamba,” “Mamba League,” and a Mamba logo.

These trademarks were filed before contract negotiations fell through, so clearly this is something that Vanessa Bryant and the estate have been thinking about for quite some time. The door isn’t quite closed, but it’s pretty close.

This was bound to happen, though. Nobody seems happy with the way Nike has been releasing Bryant’s signature sneakers since his untimely death. They’ve been extremely limited every time they’ve dropped. And Mamba Week last August was an absolute disaster.

Months later, Nike released the Kobe ‘Grinch’ 6’s and the result was the same. Vanessa Bryant took to Instagram to publicly state that she was working with Nike to increase stock, but nothing has changed since.

They haven’t been satisfied with the way these drops have gone. This is the estate taking that power back. That’s an amazing thing.

No, the shoes wouldn’t be Nikes. But even if they aren’t, fans of Bryant won’t care. They just want something to remember their fallen idol with.

And if this move gets them that? That’s a big win for everyone.

Watch our new sneaker unboxing show, Special Delivery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RULSgRvtzLs&t=128s

Zion Williamson’s First Jordan Brand Signature Shoe: First Four Colorways

Zion Williamson joins Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook on the short list of NBA stars to earn a signature shoe from Jordan Brand. Here is a sneak peek at the first four colorways: Gen Zion, ZNA, Noah and Marion.

Zion Williamson joins Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook on the short list of NBA stars to earn a signature shoe from Jordan Brand. Here is a sneak peek at the first four colorways: Gen Zion, ZNA, Noah and Marion.

SPECIAL DELIVERY: Unboxing the future of Nike Basketball with the GT Cut

Taking a look at Nike’s brand new GT Cut.

The future of Nike Basketball is here…we think.

Nike just launched its brand new “Greater Than” series featuring shoes that are filled with the latest and greatest in Nike’s performance technology. The first shoe up is the GT Cut, specifically built for basketball.

It features the latest and greatest in tech: A double-stacked Zoom unit in the heel, a zoom curbed strobel board built into the outsole, a full length react insole.

But how much is too much? The Special Delivery crew tries to find out in their latest video.

Sykes explores the origins of the GT Cut, how and why it was built and how the shoe is supposed to function. And the crew has a little bit of SNKRS fun in between.

Enjoy.

Nike’s SNKRS app trended again after people missed out on the ‘Hyper Royal’ Jordan 1

Another Saturday, another SNKRS L

It looks like we have another Sadderday in the books, folks. Sneaker Twitter collectively went through it once again after another battle with Nike’s SNKRS app.

The Hyper Royal Jordan 1’s dropped on Saturday and they look absolutely incredible so, of course, everyone wanted to buy them.

But the W’s came few and far between for these joints when they dropped. People entered into a drawing on the SNKRS app for them and there were so many L’s.

And, of course, after the drop, everyone hopped on Twitter to complain about the L’s they just took. It was so bad because this shoe just looks amazing.

So yes, it was a Sadderday, indeed.

Watch our sneaker unboxing show, Special Delivery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RULSgRvtzLs&t=15s

The Boston Red Sox unveiled new uniforms that aren’t red at all. Here’s why

The Boston Red Sox new uniforms aren’t red at all

The Boston Red Sox are one of Major League Baseball’s premier teams. They’re recognized across the world. You know a Red Sox uniform when you see one.

Everyone knows the classic white uniform with the red trim that defines the Red Sox with the red “Boston” written across the chest in that classic font. That’s the look.

But now, the Red Sox have a new one. And, well, uh, it isn’t red at all.

The Red Sox unveiled a brand new alternate uniform on Tuesday in partnership with Nike as a part of their “City Connect” series. And it looks absolutely nothing like what we’re used to from the Red Sox.

Masters: Shoes Nike players will be wearing at Augusta National in 2021

See the Nike footwear, designed using recycled materials, that players like Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau and Jason Day will wear at the Masters.

While Nike’s most iconic golfer, Tiger Woods, is not going to be competing next week at the 2021 Masters, plenty of other big-name players who wear Nike footwear are going to be in the field. Golfers like Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Jason Day and others will be at Augusta National Golf Club trying to win the year’s first men’s major championship.

While Nike is not officially making any Masters-themed footwear, the company does have new colorways that will be featured by its athletes starting next week. Collectively, they are being called Nike’s Masters NRG Pack, but individually they are the Air Zoom Victory Tour 2 NRG, Air Max 90 G NRG and the Air Zoom Infinity Tour NRG.

The uppers in all the shoes are made from 100 percent recycled canvas, which gives them a raw, rougher look and feel. The lace loops and the canvas on the tongue are also made from 100 percent recycled materials.

SPECIAL DELIVERY: Exploring Nike’s big switch on the Air Max with the brand new Pre-Day

This is the next evolution for the Air Max.

Nike’s Air Max line has been its lifeblood for more than three decades now. Since the Air Max 1 dropped in 1987, it’s been one of the most popular silhouettes the brand has to offer and has also continued to evolve.

The latest evolution in the line, though, is unlike anything we’ve ever seen from it before. Nike’s brand new Air Max Pre-Day breaks the mold.

Typically with any Air Max joint, you’ll get a big shoe with a lot of tech in it. But the Pre-Day is simple. It’s reductive. It’s a completely different direction and it does this on purpose.

We explore why Nike made the big switch with this shoe and why it’s a good thing they did on this latest episode of Special Delivery. Don’t miss it.

Rockets unveil black Earned jerseys for second half of 2020-21 season

The Earned Edition jerseys were given to the 16 NBA teams who made the playoffs last season. Houston will debut its new set on March 14.

The Houston Rockets on Wednesday unveiled new Earned Edition jerseys for the second half of the 2020-21 season, which were given to the 16 NBA teams that made the playoffs during the prior 2019-20 season.

Houston’s new black set, which features red accenting and lettering, will be worn beginning with Sunday’s home game versus Boston.

The Earned threads are scheduled to be used by the Rockets in three games. Per LockerVision, these are when they will be worn:

— Sunday, March 14 vs. Boston
— Friday, April 23 vs. Los Angeles Clippers
— Thursday, April 29 vs. Milwaukee

For the remaining 35 regular-season games, the Rockets will wear their blue City uniforms 10 times; red Icon jerseys nine times; and eight appearances each for the white Association and black Statement sets.

When at home, Houston’s 2020-21 City uniforms will continue to include an alternate blue court design, for matching purposes.

The complete 2020-21 uniform schedule, including bench and warmup apparel, is now available for all NBA teams at LockerVision.

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Nike’s SNKRS app is causing chaos again with the ‘University Blue’ Air Jordan 1

Man. This has got to change.

Every single weekend it’s the same story. Nike drops some rare, exclusive sneaker on its SNKRS app, people hop in a virtual line for it and then, poof, it’s gone. Just like that. Sold out.

Yet, sneakerheads everywhere keep lining up over and over and over again. It happened again on Saturday with Jordan Brand’s “University Blue” Air Jordan 1 release.

The shoe was set to release at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, like the usual SNKRS drop. But there was so much demand for these things. And rightfully so.

They look absolutely incredible. It’s a Jordan 1 in a UNC blue color. You cannot go wrong with that combination. Look at this thing.

Just super clean. It didn’t matter, though. The W’s were hard to come by.

Check out our Sneaker Unboxing show, Special Delivery 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MK0HoBHqbY

The massive sneaker controversy that cost a Nike exec Ann Hebert her job, explained

You hate to see it.

That’s quite a headline. It’s definitely one that I never thought I’d be writing. But here we are.

For everyone who hasn’t seen the news, Ann Hebert, now the former Vice President and General Manager for Nike North America, resigned on Tuesday after a groundswell of complaints from sneakerheads all over the internet.

Her son Joe Hebert — also known as “West Coast Joe” — was featured in a Bloomberg Magazine cover story last week. The story covered how much money Joe was making off of reselling sneakers on the secondary market — we’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars here.

That wasn’t the catch, though. What made this story interesting was seeing that Ann may have had a lot to do with it.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_wyY8tioV00sun97Zsmg52CAWj2gYlBA