The Footlocker at Yorkdale Mall has added two items to their House of Hoops display.  The first is the Jordan Brand Classic edition of the Air Jordan 2012.  For those who don’t know, the Jordan Brand Classic is an annual All Star Game that showcases the best high school basketball players in the country.  Up next is the Nike KD IV in an OKC color scheme.  While this color scheme is very close to some of the “Creamsicle” KD’s of previous years these have not been officially given the title. However, the blue and orange color-combination on shoes tend to be a popular choice and I don’t see these staying on shelves for very long.  Head over to Yorkdale Mall to check these two pairs of shoes out for yourself!

As the regular season of the Megacity Basketball League begins to wrap up I can’t help but reflect on some of the unique and rare sneakers that MBL players have pulled out from their closets.  Seeing old school Adidas Kobe’s, appropriately designed Nike ID’s, and Air Jordan’s that are both classic and timeless have definitely made this MBL season even more enjoyable than it already has been for myself and other sneaker fanatics alike.  So, as we head into the playoffs let’s take a look at some of the shoes that MBL players laced up in the ending weeks of the regular season.

This isn’t Michael Husbands’ first appearance on Sneak Peek and it’s become known around the league that he has a diverse collection of basketball sneakers.  Here, Husbands is seen with a pair of the exclusive AdiRose 2.0 - the ones that Rose debuted in the season opener verses the Los Angeles Lakers.  What makes these shoes so special, aside from being available only at select Footlocker accounts in Chicago and available online in limited quantities, is the story behind them.  Given multiple nicknames, this version of the AdiRose 2.0 is the epitome of Chicago, IL - hometown of the reigning NBA MVP.  It’s predominant red upper partnered with black accents have given it the nickname the “Windy City’s”, while it’s subtle blue L logo on the back would indicate the nickname the “L-Train” and/or the “Blue Line.”  While all nicknames of the shoe are appropriate, perhaps the shoe represents something else to Husbands.  Much like Rose, who constantly and willingly carries his team on his shoulders, serves as inspiration for Husbands to do the same for his struggling United team.

In their debut season in the MBL the Monstars have not only made noise in the standings but also do so with their arsenal of basketball sneakers.  Adding to that arsenal is Devon Ojo.  Ojo is off to a great season, averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds per.  In addition to his impressive numbers his athleticism and ability to run the floor are also worth noting. But let’s keep it real. We’re really here to talk about his shoes.  Ojo is seen here throwing it down in a pair of Air Jordan Retro 2 “Carolina’s” - a version of the shoe that many believe pays homage to MJ’s college days at the University of North Carolina.

For the first time this season the REC division of the MBL makes an appearance on Sneak Peek - and they do so in a heavy way.  Oscar Vasquez of team Flight appropriately wears a pair of shoes that coincidentally represents “flight” and every other word synonymous with it.  Vasquez is seen here with a pair of Air Jordan Retro 13’s - a shoe that is inspired by MJ’s nickname: “the panther” or “the black cat.”  Jordan wore this shoe during his first NBA comeback and second NBA tenure as he routed the Chicago Bulls to their second 3-peat of championships.

Once again Dynasty wingman Nathan Ho shows us that he has some sweet shoes to go with his sweet jumper.  We’ve seen a variety of different shoes on the feet of Nathan Ho this season - from old school Adidas Kobe’s to classic Air Jordan’s.  But here, Ho is wearing a pair of shoes that possess no other name except his own.  Yes, the shoes itself are the Zoom Kobe 5’s, however, this specific pair was not available in stores but was designed on Nike ID.  The shoe is predominantly black and features both gold and purple accents, paying homage to arguably the greatest basketball in the world, Kobe Bryant.  However, they also feature Nathan’s name embroidered under the tongue and his number (3) stitched on the side.

We’ve seen Sunny Oromitan lace up some shoes before that have made us (or just me) look twice.  But this time he does so with a pair of shoes that totally caught me off guard.  Sunny is seen here with a pair of shoes that once graced the feet of former NBA player Allen Iverson (remember him?).  The Reebok Answer IX was the 9th installment in the Allen Iverson sneaker line (10th if you include the Reebok Question) and, much like Allen Iverson, I was very close to thinking I would never see these shoes on the court again.  However, Sunny’s choice of sneakers brings back many memories for myself. Aside from these shoes representing Reebok’s attempt to revive the once-innovative “Pump It Up” technology, it also includes memories of spectacular moments from arguably the most dominant “small guy” in NBA history.  The same memories that made all of us believe that underdog could somehow will his way to victory.

And finally we end off this edition of Sneak Peek by revisiting the REC division of MBL.  It can be said that the 2010-11 NBA Season was the best season of Kevin Durant’s young career.  He was named an All Star, won the 2011 Scoring Title and almost knocked out the Dallas Mavs (who would eventually go on to win the NBA championship) in an intense and memorable playoff battle.  And one moment, one still shot, and one momentary snapshot of life basketball fans alike are reminded of Kevin Durant’s breakout season with this sing picture of Purple Crush. Here we see Lau wearing the Nike KD III “Christmas Day” edition - the pair KD wore on Christmas Day during his battle against the Denver Nuggets.  We also see Yan wearing a pair of the Nike KD III “Scoring Title” editions - a pair that was created by nike to commemorate Durant’s achievement of winning the 2011 scoring title.

And that wraps up the final entry of Sneak Peek: MBL for the regular season. Next up: PLAYOFFS!  I’m looking forward to seeing what MBL players lace up for the most exciting part of the season. Keep bringing the heat!

I had some errands to do in Scarborough this morning and so I thought I would make a stop at Woodside Square (Mcowan/Finch) to check out Si Vous Play.  Didn’t find any steals but they definitely had some deals.  Here’s just a few things I found worthy of posting.

Lebron 8 V1 - Vet Day’s
For those who don’t have first-hand experience with this shoe you’re definitely missing out.  This shoe provides solid lateral support, maximum cushioning with Max Air, and does not feel bulky on the feet at all despite it’s appearance.

Griffey Max II
With summer right around the corner its time to take the nice kicks out of the closet and put away the winter beaters.  I thought this would make a great summer-chilling shoe for a couple of reasons: 1) the popular color-combination of black and yellow is always a hit, 2) the Max Air cushioning in all models of the Nike Griffey line are always really comfortable, and 3) this shoe is different and isn’t something you’ll see everyday (and 4: they’re almost half price!).

Kobe Clearance (again…)
I’m surprised to see these sitting on shelves, even if Nike over-did it with the number of colorways they released.  The Zoom Kobe V has to be (in my opinion) one of the best performance basketball shoes ever.  I wasn’t much of a fan of the Zoom Kobe VI, however, based on the original price tag of both these shoes the current price of $90 is a good deal.

Going to make this short and sweet - I like what I’m seeing.  The season started off a little warm in regards to what players were lacing up on the court.  But things are really starting to heat up from seeing old school Adidas Kobe’s to Air Jordan “Chicago” 10’s.  Last week there were three shoes in particular that stood out to me. Here they are…

Following in the steps of Thomas Truong, fellow Tigers teammates Donovan Ngo and Justin Wong both decided they should be in the spotlight, too. 

Justin Wong is seen here wearing a pair of Nike Lebrong 9 “Swingman”, a shoe that collaborates two of the greatest professional athletes in history - Lebron James and Ken Griffey Jr.  In addition to the “halo” logo on the back of the shoe (which signifies the motion of Ken Griffey Jr. swinging his bat) the shoe also pays homage to Junior with it’s unique use of color - freshwater blue - a color that was predominantly a part of the Seattle Mariners logo.

If you paid any attention to this year’s NBA All Star Game you probably would have heard the buzz about Nike’s glow-in-the-dark shoes.  Donovan Ngo of the Tigers certainly did, seen here wearing the Nike Kobe VII “Galaxy” All Star shoes.  These shoes feature a space-like design along the upper, hence, the nickname “Galaxy.”  The shoe also features an outsole that glows in the dark.  Maybe Megacity will have to dim the lights of Hoopdome one week so we can get a glimpse of what these shoes can actually do!

Let’s see what “heat” we see tonight on this warm day in Toronto!

Nike Toronto still has a limited size run of the Nike Foamposite “Electrolime’s.”  These were released on Saturday 3/17 and retail for $269.99 plus tax.  Give them a call to see if they still have your size!

With Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks set to make their second appearance verses the Toronto Raptors later this week, Nike Linsanity shirts arrived just in time!  The Nike Linsanity shirts are available in both white and black, and feature a subtle camo-print over the font.  These shirts are $25 and are available at Nike Toronto on Bloor Street.  Get them before they’re sold out!

In the last decade the release of the Nike Penny line was a stranger to Canadian retailers (with the exception of an extremely limited Royal Foamposite release many years ago).  However, 2012 has been a year of change with respect to the Penny line as Nike Toronto is currently carrying both the Nike Zoom Rookie LWP and the Nike Flight One NRG.  But that’s not all, it gets better!  Both shoes are currently on sale - The Zoom Rookie LWP is currently on sale for $199 and the Nike Flight One NRG is on sale for $119.  Stop by Nike Toronto on Bloor to see if they have your size!

Welcome to the 3rd installment of “LACED” - a look at what kicks Toronto’s ballers are lacing up for their games being played in the Megacity Basketball League.  After the first two installments I’m beginning to notice players pull out their “heat” to showcase along with their game.  Let’s get right to it!

Let’s begin with the Sunday Division of the B League.  Nikita Curin of the Sonics laced up a pair of Jordan’s that we’ve all become familiar with.  Nikita is rocking the Nike Air Jordan Retro XII in the white/cherry colorway, also known as the home Chicago Bulls colorway that MJ wore back in ‘97.  The Air Jordan XII is known for it’s stability and durability, being one of the few basketball shoes that feature a full length Zoom Air unit along with a carbon fibre plate in the midsole.  It’s also known as the shoe that MJ wore to begin his second three-peat of championships after coming out of retirement (the first time).  Nikita, finishing with 12 points and 8 rebounds, helped The Sonics achieve another victory against The Dragons and left us wondering the same thing that Spike Lee / Mars Blackmon did years ago - “Is It The Shoes?”

Next up is the shoe formerly known as “The Garnett’s.“  At the beginning of his career Kevin Garnett had a sneaker deal with Nike while playing for the Timberwolves.  However, just like the changing of his teams Garnett also changed the sneaker brand that he endorsed on his feet. He ventured into wearing And1’s and Adidas before finally settling on his current sneaker, Li Ning - a sneaker company that derives from China.  Not too long ago Nike decided to release a retro version of the Air Garnett 3, however, since Garnett is no longer a Nike-sponsored athlete they were unable to use his name in the shoe.  Thus, Nike simply renamed the shoe The Air Max 3, seen here on the feet of Michael Husbands in a green colorway that matches the SWAT uniform.

In their first game back from a two-game absence, the dynamic shooting duo of Nathan Ho and Steve Truong turned a lot of heads with what they had on their feet verses The Kings.  Both Nathan and Steve laced up a pair of shoes that are usually referred to by people as “the first Kobe’s” - and they’re right.  This shoe, now known as the Adidas Top Ten, was the shoe that Kobe Bryant wore in his first photoshoot with Adidas many years ago.  The shoe features the infamous “Feet You Wear” technology - a design inspired by the human’s bare foot.  The shoe was a hit back then and proved to still be a big hit now with Ho and Truong as they carried their team to a win in their first game back.

I had to include these next shoes because I personally feel they deserve more attention.  Maybe they’ve become a distant memory because they were only worn one time in history.  Maybe they were overshadowed by other sneakers at the time.  Or maybe, just maybe, they’ve become forgotten because the player who once wore them is no longer with the team he played for back then, instead, opting to take his talents to South Beach.  The Nike Zoom Lebron VI “All Star” edition perfectly matched the East All Stars’ uniform back in 2009 when Lebron was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Since he is no longer with them, these shoes might as well perfectly match Curtis Jeffers’ and The Monstars.

And finally, we take a closer look at a historical shoe in the entire Jordan lineup.  Many frown upon this chapter of the Jordan Brand story, however, the true fan cannot help but appreciate what the shoe represents.  Although Jordan didn’t win a championship in these it is still the first shoe he wore when he came out of retirement wearing the four-five - a period that later transformed into another Bulls dynasty.  It’s also a shoe that pays tribute to all of MJ’s greatest achievements (imprinted into the rubber of the outsole of the shoe).  And finally, most of us remember the shoe gracing the feet of Scottie Pippen as he pointed to the camera and signaled for Jordan to return to the Bulls.  Such a shoe deserves to be out of the box and on the feet, whether its on the streets or on the basketball court.  And Thomas Truong does just that as he tries to successfully ead the Tigers through their debut season.

KEEP BRINGING THE HEAT!

- M.Tom

To follow up with the recent Lebron 9 Galaxy All Star release (which sold out at all retailers within a few days) Nike Canada has brought in the Swingman and Dunkman version of the shoe - hoping it performs similar results.  Both of these colorways are available at Nike Toronto, while the Lebron 9 Swingman is also available at select Footlocker accounts across the GTA such as Yorkdale and Eaton Center.  The price tag on these shoes are $209.99.

It’s not often that Toronto gets blessed with Player Edition releases of Nike’s basketball line.  In recent years we either had to pay a visit to House of Hoops locations in the States or resort to Ebay and other online retailers.  However, Toronto is starting to see more of these releases - most recently, the Rajon Rondo edition of the Nike HyperEnforcer.

The Rajon Rondo PE of the Nike HyperEnforcer is available at Nike Toronto located at 110 Bloor Street. The price is $149.99.

Nike Toronto
110 Bloor Street
416 921 6453