Kobe Bryant would not fit in the high top Nike Basketball generation in the late 80’s and early 90’s if he walked in any court with the Nike Zoom Kobe V. Today Kobe is considered a genius for creating one of the lowest cut basketball shoes to date. It seems as though low cut basketball shoes make no sense to the average consumer because you have to buy braces and aftermarket accessories for protection, a problem easily resolved by purchasing a higher shoe. Kobe thought outside of the box, a trait that Nike has held for years. Soccer players wear low cut shoes and are in danger to sprain their ankle constantly, yet they are just fine. Kobe looked at another sport he loved and applied aspects to his signature shoe that would be a success on the hardwood. He wanted a light, comfortable shoe; I’m all for it, I don’t want my shoes to feel like two bricks if I’m running on a court for hours. Playing in a 10.6-ounce shoe that utilizes Nike’s cutting edge technology and materials is a treat to your body. It is the lightest basketball shoe to date. Kobe introduced Nike to a new market: the low top consumer. Hypermaxes and Hyperize’s already dominate the market in high/mid cut shoes, yet Kobe helped Nike lock up the market all around. The man is thinking like an engineer and marketing guru. Add Flywire into that equation and it seem like Kobe engineers bridges. Eat your heart out Billy Hoyle.

December is the month that many sneakerheads adore. It means one thing: coveted Retro sneaker releases. It happens every time, Jordan Brand and others re-release classics so that Santa can make many ball players and sneaker aficionados happy. I personally love the idea of Retros; I can save my OG’s and not worry about air bubbles busting, leather peeling, or viewing yellowed soles with sloppy glue marks from prehistoric sneaker technology. With all the new releases in 2009, a quarter of the NBA and professional players still wears Retros, showcasing their popularity on and off the court.

On December 19th, Jordan Brand is re-releasing the Jordan XII in the white/varsity red colorway. Reebok this month also re-released The Question in its original white/red colorway. Anybody remember? I’ll give you a hint: Lower East Scribe posted a picture of this epic match-up a few days ago. Ah yes, these two sneakers highlight one of the most pivotal match-ups between Jordan and the young whippersnapper A.I. The question I ask today is simple: What would you buy?

Show some love to Lower East Scribe and his recent article. You can view it HERE.

The Questions.

It’s personally fitting to me that Allen Iverson’s first shoe is called the Question, because ever since he’s been in the league I’ve had to ask myself one: do I love him or do I hate him?

Last week, I was walking to the train, knocking Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Mobb on my iPod and asking myself what makes me love A.I.? Before I could finish my thoughts, Weezy’s lyrics gave me the answer I was searching for.

“Hold court with the apes/I’m a gorilla but lighter/got the, eye of the tiger/the heart of a fighter…” Read More »