Teddy Santis and Aimé Leon Dore have done an incredible job with pretty much every New Balance sneaker they’ve released.
From the handful of 550s they’ve dropped to the 827s to the 650s and so many more, the sneakers have just been top quality and they’ve given you a look at some of the lesser-known New Balance silhouettes.
But the 860v2 the brand just collaborated on is a sneaker most folks know pretty well — they just don’t know it.
This model is the base of so many of New Balance’s most popular silhouettes in 2023. And it’s finally getting a high-profile collaboration with one of New Balance’s best partners.
About time. We break that down and more on the latest episode of Special Delivery.
The original to the original Air Max 1 is finally back after 40 years
Nike has a lot of history behind it, but the Air Max 1 is easily one of the most storied shoes on its roster.
The original version of the shoe dropped in 1987 when Nike tapped now legendary sneaker designer Tinker Hatfield to design it. After nearly four decades, the shoe still resonates with sneakerheads everywhere.
But what most people didn’t know is that the original version of this legendary sneaker looked a bit different. The air bubble in the back heel was a bit bigger. And it came out a few months before the Air Max 1 we know now, but was recalled because of a quality issue.
Today, nearly 40 years later, Nike brought the original version of the original shoe back. And it looks just as fly as ever. We got our hands on a pair for a special episode of Special Delivery.
There are plenty of shoes one could call the greatest to ever be created. There’s no cut-and-dry reasoning for any of it.
You could argue that the Adidas Superstar, for example, is the GOAT for perfectly bringing together hip-hop and sneaker culture. Or you could argue the Air Max 1 has that GOAT title because of the innovation that came with it. There are plenty more to argue for and against.
But, personally, I think the Air Jordan 3 holds that title.
This is the shoe that made Jordan Brand before Jordan Brand. Without this sneaker, Michael Jordan might not be who he is. And the Jordan line almost certainly wouldn’t be what it is.
The white cement Air Jordan 3 saved the culture. And, now, it’s back in its OG form. We unbox it on today’s episode of Special Delivery.
[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Air Jordan 3 at Amazon” link=”https://amzn.to/3TnDGAR”]
[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Adidas Superstar at Adidas” link=”https://adidas.njih.net/c/1205322/264102/4270?subId1=FTW&subId2=Special%20Delivery&subId3=2023%20-%20March&c=affiliate_2021&af_reengagement_window=30d&af_channel=affiliates&pid=impactradius_int&is_retargeting=true&af_siteid=1205322&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.adidas.com%2Fus%2Fsuperstar”]
[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Air Max 1 at Nike” link=”https://go.skimresources.com?id=77560X1713207&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stadiumgoods.com%2Fen-us%2Fshopping%2Fair-max-1-ugly-duckling-honeydew-19531172″]
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Sabrina Ionescu’s new sneaker represents a big WNBA problem
Welcome to Layup Lines, our basketball newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon
Howdy, folks. Welcome back to Layup Lines. It’s Sykes, ushering you into another weekend of basketball. Let’s talk sneakers for a second.
New York Liberty All-Star Sabrina Ionescu just made a little bit of history off of the basketball court.
With the announcement that the Liberty guard is launching her very first signature shoe with Nike, she becomes the eighth woman to ever have a signature shoe with the brand.
Both of those numbers need to be a lot higher, so it’s honestly great to see Ionescu donning her own sneaker here. There should be more signature models in women’s basketball.
But still, after seeing this news, it’s hard not to think about this piece from the Sports Business Journal in 2021.
It highlights the disparity in media coverage between Black WNBA players and their counterparts. It ultimately all boiled down to one quote: “Black WNBA players won postseason awards. White women won coverage.”
The SBJ conducted a study reviewing media coverage from major sports media outlets covering the WNBA. Here’s what it found:
“We counted every time each active WNBA player’s name was mentioned in more than 550 articles that ESPN, CBS Sports, and Sports Illustrated posted online over the course of the 2020 season. We controlled for points and rebounds and found that across the league, Black WNBA players received significantly less coverage — seemingly because they’re Black. The box score: An average 52 media mentions for Black players, compared to 118 for white players.”
That was back in the 2020 season. And, obviously, it’s something that still persists today. It’s something A’ja Wilson has even spoken up on in the past.
“Even though our league is predominantly Black, I think it’s hard for our league to push us, in a sense, because they still have to market, in their mind, what is marketable,” Wilson told ESPN last year. “Sometimes a Black woman doesn’t check off those boxes.”
So when we see Ionescu — a one-time All-Star who has only played three WNBA seasons — get a signature shoe before a multi-time MVP and a champion in Wilson, some red flags certainly go up.
Wilson isn’t the only one here who is worthy of consideration. Jonquel Jones — another former MVP and Ionescu’s new teammate — doesn’t have a signature model, either. Yet she’s consistently been one of the best players in the WNBA.
Now, let me be clear. This is not to say that Ionescu doesn’t deserve to have a signature shoe or to pit her against her counterparts in the W. At the end of the day, the sneaker industry and media at large are all behind when it comes to shining the spotlight on this great league.
But it’s pretty clear that, collectively, we do need to have a discussion about the coverage imbalance here. Because it’s leading to more opportunities for certain groups of players over others. And that’s what we can’t have.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Remember all of that talk about how the Lakers were going to attempt to woo Kyrie Irving away from the Nets er, uh, the Mavericks this offseason? Apparently, that’s not a thing anymore. LA says it’s out on Irving this summer, according to reporting from The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
“Buha is one of the most trusted and well-sourced reporters who covers the Lakers, and HoopsHype’s Scotto added that he has heard similar rumblings.
Considering both reporters are aligned, we should take them seriously.
But there are so many reasons why it would be foolish to completely count out Irving eventually landing in Los Angeles. Remember: LeBron gave a weird interview expressing “disappointment” that Kyrie wasn’t traded to the Lakers, and he has had similar tweets about the subject as well.”
This is going to be an interesting game considering how desperate both teams are. The Warriors are trying to hold on to that 6th seed and avoid the play-in tournament but can’t win on the road. The Hawks are trying to snap a two-game skid and the upper hand in the East’s play-in mix. I’d take the Hawks minus the 4.5 tonight — no Draymond Green tonight for Golden State and they can’t win on the road.
Michael Jordan on the Celtics would be wild — just like this sneaker
Seeing the Air Jordan 2 in a Boston Celtics colorway is kind of weird, but it’s also kind of clean, too?
The Jordan 2 typically comes in that classic Chicago style — the red, black and white all over with the classic leathers and faux iguana skin to top the sneaker off.
But the “Lucky Green” Jordan 2 is a bit different. The bright green tone brings a new life and a new story to the sneaker that we haven’t seen before. It’s a simple sneaker colorway, but it takes the imagination to some wild places for any fan of the game of basketball.
Check it out on the latest episode of Special Delivery, where Sykes and the crew take a look at the Jordan 2 in this wild colorway.
[afflinkbutton text=”Nike Air Jordan 2 in Lucky Green” link=”https://go.skimresources.com?id=77560X1713207&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nike.com%2Fca%2Flaunch%2Ft%2Fair-jordan-2-lucky-green&xcust=SpecialDelivery”]
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Whenever Shoe City and New Balance link up, it’s always going to be a good time.
That’s exactly what their latest project — the Trailblazer 990v3 — can be described as. It’s a really good time.
The sneaker takes inspiration from trail runners that have come before it. The rope laces it comes with look like something that you’d see in a boot before you see it in a running sneaker.
The best part of the sneaker as a whole is the color scheme — it gives you a cool 90s vibe with the teal, orange and purple mashup that contrast with the hairy brown suede all over the rest of it.
The Special Delivery Crew was excited about this one. Watch Sykes and the squad unbox it on the latest episode of SD.
[afflinkbutton text=”See more New Balance 990v3″ link=”https://new-balance-athletics-inc.sjv.io/WDxx7J”]
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
There’s so much more to Rich Paul than we thought and he’s finally opening up about it
Nobody knows the creative side of Rich Paul.
We’ve known who he is for nearly two decades now, and if you ask people about him they’ll probably talk to you about his work with LeBron James, his running Klutch Sports Group, maybe even his relationship with Adele.
What they probably aren’t going to talk about is his creative work. But that’s the version of Paul that we’re beginning to find out more about as time passes — and he’s thrilled about it.
Rich Paul is diving into his new passions. Not only does he have a legitimate signature sneaker with New Balance he launched in 2021, but now he’s got a full apparel brand made specifically for the athlete — Klutch Athletics.
Paul’s opened up to For The Win about his new brand, the inspirations behind it and what might come from it in the future.
You can check out the full conversation in the video above.
The XT-6 is the perfect entry point for the Salomon wave you’ve been itching to be part of.
Without fail, every time an artist performs for the Super Bowl’s halftime show, their streams blow up. It’s essentially a big commercial.
Just ask Rihanna. Her streams skyrocketed across platforms, according to Billboard. And that’s Rihanna. She was already popular. The Super Bowl made her an even bigger star.
The same can be said for Salomon after the popstar wore the Salomon x Maison Margiela MM6. It’s a sneaker the brand created in collaboration with luxury retailer Maison Margiela. Just that moment boosted Salomon’s search traffic on Google Trends by 4000%.
If you want in on the Salomon trend, you’re probably not going to want to buy a huge collab like the one she wore to get started.
Instead, we brought the perfect starter pair to the set of Special Delivery — the XT-6.
Who had the better Super Bowl performance: Rhianna or Beyoncé? Vote below on the Versus video poll!
Directions:
Find a game you want to play and click on your answer to vote.
Create an account to get free White Tickets every day you log in and get emailed the results from games you play.
For every question you answer, the system will match you with someone in the world who chose the opposite answer.
Choose wisely: Win with White Tickets to get awarded Black Tickets. Win with Black Tickets to earn digital coins which can be redeemed for prizes and cash.
Have fun!
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Jayson Tatum felt like “a kid on Christmas eve” before launching his new Jordan sneaker
Jayson Tatum had one of the most memorable All-Star weekends in recent years.
Not only was he the All-Star MVP, he also broke the record for the highest score ever recorded in the game by dropping 55 with Team Giannis. It doesn’t stop there for the Celtics’ superstar, though.
Tatum also debuted his first-ever signature shoe with Jordan Brand during the game — the Jordan Tatum 1. He announced the sneaker on Instagram with his son, Deuce, in the most adorable way possible.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Co2NzssODWY/
We sat down with Tatum ahead of the game to talk about the launch of his new model. He had plenty to say.
“It’s a dream come true. Something that every basketball player as a kid dreams about,” Tatum said. “Something that myself and the Jordan brand team have been working on the last year and a half, two years. Tomorrow’s a big day, you know, I feel like a kid on Christmas eve you probably won’t get much sleep tonight. I’m ready for tomorrow.”
We also talked with Jayson about his work with Ruffles and Charles Barkley’s new Ruffles Hot Dog-flavored potato chips — yes, seriously — and much more!
If you’ve ever wanted to be a cyborg, now is your chance.
You don’t have to look very far around the internet to find pictures or videos of the big, stupid red boots some people on the internet have been spotted in.
If you haven’t seen them, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. They’re these big, clunky boots that look like they’re just made solely out of rubber. I’ve never seen a piece of footwear look more uncomfortable in my life.
If you’re an OG anime nerd like me, they probably look familiar to you. These joints look exactly like the boots we’d see in the old Astro Boy anime from back in the day.
