LeBron 17 Low “Tune Squad” shoes releasing at select Nike Basketball retailers today according to Sole Collector.
LeBron James stepped onto the floor at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Wednesday to meet the Denver Nuggets wearing his soon-to-be-released LeBron 17 Low “Tune Squad” sneakers. LeBron’s latest colorway features a furry Swoosh that pays homage to Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tunes teammates in anticipation of the movie Space Jam 2 hitting theaters next year.
The “Tune Squad” shoes directly follow the release of the “Monstars” colorway that dropped on Thursday. The shoe is designed in white, blue and red and features the famous tagline, “What’s Up Doc?” on the inside of the tongue. The sole of this LeBron 17 also includes the Tune Squad logo from the movie Space Jam which James and his production company are in the process of remaking.
As part of the Jordan Brand pop-up venue for #NBAAllStar weekend in Chicago, local artists were given a color based on the CTA’s train lines to express the meaning of “unite” from a personal and city perspective.
As part of the Jordan Brand pop-up venue for #NBAAllStar weekend in Chicago, local artists were given a color based on the CTA’s train lines to express the meaning of “unite” from a personal and city perspective.
New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas, one of the top ambassadors for Nike’s Jordan brand, received custom cleats celebrating his 2019 season
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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is a superstar, and he knows it. He celebrates his many catches with a quick biceps flex and signal for a first down, and takes pride in the hard work he’s put in to accomplish goals like earning the award as 2019’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Thomas also earned recognition from one of his top sponsors — Nike’s Jordan brand sneakers, who sent him an outstanding pair of new sneakers celebrating last season’s achievements. The cleats are are stylized in white, black, and gold, and feature details such as his NFL-record 149 receptions in a single season and famous Twitter handle (@cantguardmike). See them for yourself:
We can expect Thomas to put these on display somewhere in his home, likely in his crowded trophy case, but the jury’s out on whether he’ll wear them into a game. The Jordan brand ambassador has made a habit of gifting sneakers to coaches and teammates, with Saints head coach Sean Payton wearing them during the Zurich Classic golf tournament. But Thomas outdid himself last season by landing a shipment of sneakers for the entire Saints locker room.
Nike is releasing two new LeBron sneakers to celebrate the 2020 NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago.
During NBA All-Star weekend there will be several highly-anticipated sneaker releases. Among them are two pairs of LeBron’s that certainly have the attention of sneakerheads. Today, the LeBron VII “All Star” made its return after first debuting 10 years ago. Then, on February 13, the “Monstars” LeBron 17 will also be hitting the SNKRS app and select retail locations throughout the country.
Like the original, the LeBron VII has the same bold blue upper. It once again is accented by an ornate woodgrain overlay and features the indisputably innovative Air unit that’s synonymous with the model.
Meanwhile, the “Monstars” sneaker was crafted specifically for the 2020 All-Star Game in Chicago while paying homage to the classic film, Space Jam, that James in the process of remaking. The shoe features special tongue accents, custom insoles and a dark, iridescent treatment found throughout the Knitposite upper.
On December 25, LeBron rocked a pair of the VII’s in the red “Christmas” colorway. Last month he was seen wearing the “Akron” VII’s as well, and there’s talk of a “China Moon” release coming soon.
How Nike turned buying premier shoes into a game that you rarely ever win.
On Dec. 20 of last year I woke up a few hours before work and went for my phone. I opened Nike’s SNKRS app — a sneaker lottery app that gives lucky fanatics a chance to buy limited-edition shoes — and scrolled to make sure my entries were in for the Off-White Nike Dunks being released that day.
Going into this drawing, I was 0-for-37 on the app since I downloaded it in 2017. I’d gotten used to taking the loss. L after L after L. Yet here I was, refreshing repeatedly after the draw closed. I’d entered for all three colors being released (red, green and navy blue) and knew from past experience that results would be posted by color. So I sat and waited and refreshed.
I thought about my most devastating losses to date: The Travis Scott Jordan 4’s in June 2018. The Panda Dunks I swore I was going to snag in January 2019. The Sacai LD Waffles — you know, the green ones with the orange and black swooshes — from May of 2019. Name a design and I have a story of failure that comes with it.
My worst day ever on SNKRS actually came when Nike released its first set of Off-White shoes in collaboration with designer extraordinaire Virgil Abloh. Eight shoes from that collection, called “The Ten.” had been released on Nov. 20 of 2017, gradually appearing on the SNKRS app throughout that afternoon.
Before the first pair dropped, I did what I had to do. I set up payment info, my shipping address and everything else. Managed to get the pair in my virtual cart and tried to check out. They were stuck on “pending,” which essentially meant I was waiting in a virtual line to pick up the shoes off of Nike’s virtual shelf and then get in another virtual line to actually buy them.
After about a 10 minute wait, I was at the edge of my seat, face down with my head on my desk, just waiting on my verdict. Then, all of a sudden, my phone vibrates. I grab it, see the SNKRS notification, unlock it and swipe down, full of anticipation like I’m a 3-year-old unwrapping gifts on his birthday. And there it is — my first L of the day. “Didn’t get ‘em,” the app says, cementing my failure in virtual stone.
No need to fear, right? I’ve got seven more chances at other pairs. I can do this. There are more than enough sneakers to go around. Rinse, wash, repeat. L after L after L. Nothing but Ls.
And, honestly, that’s what I’m expecting on this day, two years later, a few days before Christmas, the holiday spirit all around and me feeling glum and already defeated as I scroll through the app. I lose out on the red pair. I lose out on the navy blue pair. It’s happening again. I should have figured.
By the time I got that unexpected W, I’d already started working on this story about the heartbreak NIKE had caused me, because I wanted to know if I was alone. Was anyone getting lucky? Was this all just a vast mirage … Nike leading a planet of sneakerheads on, only to disappoint us every time? I had to find out, so I asked sneaker Twitter about their personal SNKRS app journeys.
It turns out that most people had an experience similar to mine: Losses, mostly, but occasional luck. This is life for sneakerheads like me who don’t have a plug (an insider who gets me access to exclusives) or a bot programmed to put sneakers in queue as quickly as possible (yes, this exists.) We’re destined to lose, most of the time. But we come back. Nike makes sure of it.
The Oregon-based retailer launched its SNKRS app in 2015 as a way to give consumers access the latest and most sought-after drops.
It’s a sneakerhead’s go-to source for everything related to Nike releases. The app includes content about certain exclusive shoes, a calendar and even shows you what’s available for you to purchase right now. It’s supposed to make everything about the process of buying premier shoes easier.
That’s not how any of this is playing out in practice, though. The app only increases demand. It builds hype and then allows hundreds of thousands of people to try to buy. So the scarcity that fuels the sneaker and streetwear industries make copping anything of interest a Sisyphean task. If you stop to think about the process — and your odds — the sheer ridiculousness of it all might make you give up.
Nike has been coy about the logistics behind SNKRS, but we tried to get some answers. We asked for specifics about the Bred 11 drop from November 2019. We came with a list of questions
How many shoes were released, total, and how many were sold through SNKRS?
How many people did they estimate would try to purchase them?
How many folks, generally speaking, log on to the app for a drop like this?
Nike refused to share any of that information. All of it is related to what the company calls “strategy and process,” a spokesperson told me, “which we don’t divulge as they are proprietary.”
So, generally speaking, without inside information, there’s no way to know how many pairs are dropping, nor how many people are trying to get them (the SNKRS app has been downloaded nearly 400 million times from the Apple store alone). There’s no way of telling where you are in line or how many people are ahead of you. If we’re being honest, most times the process is just a waste of time.
Yet, none of this is really new information. Sneakerheads know this coming in — how unlikely it is they’ll leave with what they want. But they still try.
Alert, ready and prepared for the worst, Muth picks up his phone and bounces between two SNKRS accounts to try and cop the goods. Does his strategy work? Depends on who you ask.
Muth has had some success. He’s won big exclusives like the Travis Scott Jordan 1’s and the Sean Wotherspoon Air Max 97/1 fusions (on the restock, he clarifies). Still, though, he’s left unsatisfied.
He’s just doing simple math. Since the app released in 2015, Nike has had hundreds of drawings and exclusive sneakers drop through it over the years. Muth says he’s entered in “literally every single one” and doesn’t have much to show for it.
“The percentage would have to be like 5 percent, maybe a little more,” Muth tells me. Sounds mad familiar, honestly.
Johnson built a strategy out, too. His might be a bit more thorough. He relies on the power of the group chat. He found friends who were also tired of taking endless L’s on the app. They decided to try their hand at it together, working for each other to buy their favorite shoes.
Dion Johnson rocking a pair of New Balances at Nats Park
It’s simple: Somebody throws the notification of the drop into the chat, the rest of the squad says if they’re in or out and they try to cop enough pairs to satisfy everyone interested in the chat.
“If we have the money, we will try to cop for a homie who can’t get through,” he told me.
Has it worked? Not really. He says he’s about 4-30 in draws so far. Like everyone else, he’s often doomed to go to aftermarket sites like Stadium Goods or StockX to find what he missed out on … at triple the price.
“That’s what annoys me. I’m not paying all of that for a shoe. Retail is enough,” he said. “It’s wack that you’ve got to do all of this.”
It’s not all bad all the time for some. Young Park, a resident Washingtonian Sneakerhead, says his SNKRS record is 5-12. If you’re an NFL team that’s awful. For a sneaker lovers? GOAT status. Wild, I know.
How does Park do it? He simply picks his battles. If there’s an exclusive drop he wants, he’s more than prepared. “I set up reminders and alarms for it and I use all of my devices — phones, iPad, laptops — to get what I want,” he told me. Park puts in the work, but even he is batting less than .420. Even for those who are totally committed, a lot of this comes down dumb luck.
Just chalk it up to the game
Nike has basically mastered the gamification of sneakers. The shoes customers are trying to cop have become tiered prizes, with Nike’s non-limited regular fare serving as a consolation. You buy the exclusives on the day they come out? Great, you win the game. You miss out? Go buy something similar that won’t quite hit the same but will fill your heart for the time being.
That’s the system. That’s how it works. It’s a never-ending cycle of misery and bliss for your average sneakerhead.
“It’s got to be the thrill of the chase,” Muth said.
Shawn Muth wearing the Nike React ISPAs.
Nike knows this. Their consumers are fanatics — they’ll do anything to get their hands on specific pieces. NIKE is catering to the most devoted.
“One pattern is pretty reflective of the fanatical community, it’s pretty hard core. They’re super engaged,” Ron Faris, the Nike vice president who oversees SNKRS. “They are probably the ones with the most knowledge that they’d like to share with others.”
Nike is very much hoping to grow and use its engaged audience, turning its content into something shareable. The goal is to create a larger community where those fanatics are sharing their culture with casuals who have a mild interest in sneakers.
Nike has already begun the process in expanding that reach. It is building out a digital strategy using the SNKRS app as a blueprint in other categories. Can it work with a category like, say, running apparel, that lacks the same exclusivity factor? We’ll see.
Shoes — sneakers, specifically — are just different. The love and passion doesn’t make sense; it’s irrational, but it grew organically. Sneakerheads live for the moment where someone walks up to them and says “Wow, you actually got those?” Those are the conversations that drive the chase. Those are the connections that are built through the shoes that most people miss out on. It’s hard to say if they can exist the same anywhere else.
“At the end of the day, I just love shoes. And I think Nike is genius for creating a method of social engagement for people like you and I with SNKRS,” Park said.
The wild thing about it? Nike knows exactly what it is doing. The company could easily drop more pairs of shoes and every single sneakerhead out there could get one. But that’s not the point. The point is failure — that’s what brings us back. It’s why why we feel the need to enter every drawing and try to get every exclusive sneaker in cart — we want to win. Nike needs me and all the folks like me to go 0-37 so that, on the 38th try when we finally hit, we don’t hesitate to pay. They want me to hop on Twitter and share my dub in a Tweet with all my friends. They’ve taken sneaker shopping and turned it into the thrill of a roulette wheel, and hoo buddy do people love to gamble.
Park’s SNKRS record comes with some big W’s seen here.
I wasn’t sure what would happen when I finally successfully got what I hoped for from the SNKRS app. Maybe the app would lose all the intrigue. Maybe I’d continue my chase elsewhere, through other avenues.
But then Nike brought me back in. A couple of weeks after the Off-White dunk released, Nike dropped another SB Dunk retro — the Rayguns.
You have to understand, these shoes mean something to me. I remember the first time I discovered them — it was 2007, I was a teenager, and, like every other teenager in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia), I was obsessed with the rapper Wale.
I was a huge Wale fan back in my heyday. Still am, honestly. If I’m being truthful about it, he’s one of the biggest reasons why I love sneakers the way I do. He walked me down this path. One of my favorite records from Wale, to this day, is a song called “Kicks.”
Second verse, a minute and 30 seconds into the song, he breaks out:
“Cheer for the green pack, I’m a Cheesehead
Rayguns on young make police scared
Pradas on a Monday, Dunks on a Tuesday
J’s on a Wednesday, mix it up the whole week”
Immediately, I took to the internet. I needed to know what these Rayguns were.
I thought about going to NikeTalk and asking what they were, but I was afraid of getting roasted for not knowing. Eventually, through Google, I found them. They were pricey, and I was 14, so they wouldn’t be mine.
As time has gone by, the OG shoe’s value on the secondary market has ballooned way out of my price range to over $1,000. They were always just a dream.
Well, until December, anyway. Nike re-released the shoes. They weren’t exactly the same as the originals, but close enough. I had to go for them.
The Roswell Raygun emblem on the Raygun Nike SB Dunks
And, for the second time ever, I won. I’m now 2-for-39.
Was it a message from the sneakergods? Nike’s algorithms understanding that I needed a perfect end to my story? Stupid luck? Who knows. All I know is I’m happy with my purchases.
Now, all that’s left to decide is what I’m keeping … and what I’m selling.
As a sneaker head, it’s extremely hard to envision a world without Nike’s Jordan Brand. Michael Jordan is the king of signature sneakers in basketball. None of this exists without the partnership between him and Nike.
Those two go together like peanut butter and jelly or ketchup on a burger or whatever other dumb food analogies I’m missing here. They just mesh. They’re not as big without each other.
Even today, after 35 years, Jordan’s sneakers are still somehow considered fly.Yet, somehow, that almost all went to the wayside.
In the latest episode of Kevin Durant’s series “The Boardroom,” his former agent David Falk explained that Jordan didn’t actually like Nike. It all happens at the 17:20 mark of the video.
“He didn’t want to go. Didn’t know anything about [Nike]. Didn’t like the shoes. Didn’t want to go. The shoe wasn’t that great at the time and Converse was the dominant brand…Adidas had everybody else that mattered.”
35 years later, Jordan and Nike are worth billions of dollars together and the company is re-releasing Jordan’s first two shoes together — the Air Ship and the first Air Jordan 1.
Players for the Los Angeles Lakers will speak to the media after Friday’s game against the Blazers and the Lakers coaches will honor Kobe.
The Los Angeles Lakers players have elected not to speak to the media in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death, along with his daughter Gigi and seven others on Sunday. But the Lakers players are expected to speak to reporters on Friday night after the conclusion of tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, the team’s first game since Sunday’s tragic accident.
But the game itself is expected to be a tribute to Bryant, even though a formal memorial or funeral still is not scheduled or announced yet. According to The Athletic’s Bill Oram, Lakers coach Frank Vogel and the Lakers staff are all going to wear Kobe’s signature shoes to honor his memory.
Frank Vogel said the Lakers coaching staff will all be wearing Kobes tonight on the sideline. pic.twitter.com/8LLGKX8Rmp
A few nights ago, the Blazers did the same thing in their game against the Houston Rockets, as every member of their coaching staff wore Kobe’s shoes. It wouldn’t be a shock if they continued that into tonight as L.A. tries to return to basketball that will be far from usual.
A ‘Space Jam’ Nike LeBron 17 could be releasing during NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago.
Space Jam 2 is scheduled to hit theaters during the summer of 2021. The direct sequel to the 1996 film, Space Jam, will be directed by Malcolm D. Lee and star LeBron James in the role that Michael Jordan first made famous. In anticipation of this theatrical release, there could be a pair of “Space Jam” Nike LeBron 17 sneakers on the way.
Nike has not yet confirmed the release of the “Space Jam” pack but there are reports indicating that the shoes could be coming soon. According to Sole Collector, the “Monstars” LeBron 17 is expected to release on Feb. 14 followed by the “Toon Squad” LeBron 17 Low arriving on Feb. 15.
According to GOAT’s release calendar, two “Space Jam” Nike LeBron 17s are now expected to release during the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend, which includes a Monstars-inspired colorway along with a “Toon Squad” makeup of the unreleased Lebron 17 Low. As of now, an early look at both pairs have yet to be revealed.
NBA All-Star weekend takes place in Chicago from February 14-16. The last time the All-Star game was in the Windy City was 1988. Jordan offered the home crowd 40 points in the game after staging an epic showdown with Dominique Wilkins during one of the most iconic dunk contests ever.
The Nike LeBron 7 “Fairfax” PE that was originally created in 2009 for Los Angeles’ Fairfax High School and never released to the public is expected to drop later this year according to a report.
The Nike LeBron 7 “Fairfax” PE that was originally created in 2009 for Los Angeles’ Fairfax High School and never released to the public is expected to drop later this year according to a report from Sneaker Files. Fairfax is one of the few high schools that are sponsored by LeBron throughout the country.
The black version of this sneaker is known as the Fairfax “Away” while a white “Home” version was also created. The “Away” features a black colorway with red and yellow accents surrounding a red Swoosh. Red also fills the full-length Air unit and laces. Sole Collector notes that the image provided in the tweet below is of the original sneaker from 2009. Images of the retro version have not been made available as of yet.
The news of the previously unreleased “Fairfax” dropping comes on the heels of rumors surrounding another LeBron 7 sneaker hitting retail later this year as well. The “Hardwood Classic” Nike LeBron 7’s could also be available on a retro release later in 2020, although nothing has been officially confirmed by Nike at this point. As more news develops we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Nike LeBron 17 I Promise School sneakers set to release on January 21 for a retail price of $200. Nike will be making a donation to the school through each purchase.
The Nike LeBron 17 I Promise School sneaker is set to release on January 21 at SNKRS North America and House of Hoops by Foot Locker. The “I Promise” colorway of LeBron’s latest signature shoe is inspired by his efforts to champion the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio as well as James’ commitment to improving education throughout his hometown.
Nike released images of the “I Promise” sneaker this week that highlight a colorful kaleidoscopic upper and outsole of the shoe that is said to represent LeBron’s passion, optimism, and focus for the school’s mission. The tongue features the LeBron James Family Foundation logo and the laces include phrases like, “I promise I will dream big.” Through each purchase of this sneaker, Nike will be making a donation to support the I Promise School’s mission.
LeBron 17 ‘I Promise’.@kingjames’ commitment to revolutionizing education in his hometown is honored in a kaleidoscopic-inspired design with a run of promises on the shoe’s laces.
