Nike Basketball News

The Collection 3.0: Zoom Sharkalaid Deron Williams

jechee — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:33:49 GMT

In his fifth season, Deron Williams is unquestionably one of Utah's leaders, and he hopes the team will make The Leap from playoff team to Western Conference Champion to NBA Champion.

After 12 games, Deron is second in the NBA in assists per game (9.8) and minutes played (39.8).

And during all those minutes, he's been getting an assist from the Zoom Sharkalaid.

Take a look at the wallpaper, and let us know what you think.

The Collection 3.0: Blue Chip II Caron Butler

jechee — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:29:55 GMT

Forward Caron Butler is one of two players in the NBA to average at least 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game in each of the last two seasons. Caron and the Washington Wizards will be on national television tonight taking on the other player with those statistics - LeBron James.

When Caron takes the court, he'll be wearing the Blue Chip II.

Take a look at the wallpaper, and tell us what you think of the shoe by leaving a comment.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII New York Energy / "Red Carpet"

jechee — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:49:22 GMT

Last Friday, in his only appearance in Madison Square Garden, LeBron James led the Cavaliers to a 100-91 victory. LeBron was on fire in the first quarter, scoring 19 points on 8-9 shooting.

The game also marked the on-court debut of a special colorway of the Air Max LeBron VII. Often referred to as the "Red Carpet" version of the Air Max LeBron VII, the shoe trades its Flywire upper for a luxurious texture.

To celebrate The King's most recent appearance in New York, a limited number of these shoes will go on sale later this week in the New York area. If you're not in the New York area, or you miss out this week, the shoe will be more broadly available right after Thanksgiving.

Check out the photos, and tell us what you think in the comments.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII White/Midnight Navy-Red

jechee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:00:46 GMT

LeBron James debuted the White/Midnight Navy-Red version of the Air Max LeBron VII on October 28 against Toronto. The result? His 25th career triple double.

Learn more about the shoe from its designer Jason Petrie, and check out the photographs. Want to pick up a pair? They'll be in stores on November 19.

November 9, 2009 Update: This shoe will only be available at Foot Locker.

What do you think about this version of the Air Max LeBron VII?

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII Artist Series London

jechee — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:39:49 GMT

"The inspiration for this shoe design came from Londoners' indomitable spirit during the Blitz, which has become folklore," says local London artist Billie Jean. "LeBron James personifies this spirit. His determination and talent has enabled him to achieve absolute victory and success."

The busy design style of the London Artist Series Air Max LeBron VII reflects LeBron's exuberance on the basketball court. Jean's limited-edition interpretation incorporates a patchwork of traditional and not-so-traditional London motifs.

For example:
• Flames lick the side of the shoe, depicting the Great Fire in 1666
• An Indian lady and African patterns symbolize London’s cultural diversity
• The River Thames, weaving through the shoe as it does through the city
• A line pattern inside each shoe - the river’s aerial view

Born in Paddington, West London, Jean now lives and works in Leytonstone, East London. He studied at the Chelsea School of Art and Central Saint Martins, specializing in illustration. While still in school, Jean's first-ever illustration was published in The Sunday Times newspaper. He then went into photography, taking portraits for The Face, The Guardian Weekend and Dazed & Confused magazines.

Jean gravitated back to illustration in 2003. That year, his first commission was nominated for a D&AD Award.

Billie Jean creates his work through the use of biros, Indian ink, acrylic paints, photography and a capacious imagination. He draws his inspiration from an eclectic mix of art, music, film, design and travel.

Check out the photographs, and tell us what you think in the comments.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII Artist Series Paris

jechee — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:53:10 GMT

Passion. Sometimes it's not about yelling and screaming - or any demonstrative show of emotion.

Local Paris artists Wu "Nyno" Yue and Stephane "The Mayor" Ashpool got that memo. So they chose an image of St. Vincent-St.Mary players with bowed heads.

Inspired by the neighborhoods and streets of the city, they chose a color palette that truly represented Paris' lights and colors in conjunction with LeBron's on-court theatrics.

Red hues honor his inner-hardwood thespian. Black symbolizes his elegance. Green pays homage to his youth.

Iconically, red and black also symbolize the dark alleyways and neon lights of Paris' Pigalle area. Green: the youthful energy of daily life in the city. A mixture of media in the form of special velvet, matte, gloss paint and pencil treatments round out their interpretation of LeBron's personal credos.

Born in Beijing, Nyno is a Paris-based freelance artist and animator. With fame based in incredibly fast drawings, he's become one of the most active artists on the Paris scene. Nyno also provides a special touch by using Chinese ink.

Born and raised in Paris, Stephane Ashpool produces, choreographs and founds many of his hometown's cultural happenings. He co-owns high-fashion events produced by ViDA9, co-founds the artists' collective with Pain O choKolat and also owns the Pigalle store, a place to organize everything art in Paris Ninth District.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII Artist Series Los Angeles

jechee — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:15:21 GMT

Local Los Angeles artist C.R. Stecyk III used every square inch of the Los Angeles Artist Series Air Max LeBron VII to unite the passion of his city park playing days with the artistic inspiration he draws from the urban sprawl.

He paid homage to the new monuments of urban shift in the city, infusing the multiplicities of LA on the surfaces of the shoe - from the rich, rusty bronze of the Pueblo’s clay soil to the incandescent sky blues.

Glimpse inside and you’ll find sole theatrics as a hand-engraved metallic plate view of Los Angeles City Hall symbolizes the city’s center. Other unique elements of the extended city - including telephone poles that sometimes function as basketball standards and palm tress - mark the exterior.

Basketball elements and themes have played a constant role in many of Stecyk’s designs. He’s also labored aesthetically on extensively modified and adorned cycles, automobiles, skateboards and evocative documentation of other Angelino pursuits. His loose affiliation with Nike dates back to the Blue Ribbon Sports days, when they had their original store on Pico in Santa Monica.

Stecyk, one of the first to cross modern basketball shoes over into skating, was also a writer and production designer on the documentary film Dogtown and Z Boys, which won awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

“There are countless thousands of places to shoot hoops that range from makeshift defacto rims to full-blown arenas,” said Stecyk, adding, “Basketball is an integral fact of the populace’s life -- in LA it is literally the sport of the people.”

Check out the photographs, and tell us what you think in the comments.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII Artist Series New York

jechee — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:10:09 GMT

Fearless.

Free from fear. Brave. Having or showing courage. Making a fine show. Excellent. Splendid.

There’s the dictionary definition of what that word means. There’s the demolition of opposing defenses, rims and superstardom that LeBron James enacts on a game-to-game basis.
And then there’s what Tomokazu Matsuyama did with the New York Artist Series Air Max LeBron VII.

It starts with an image of LeBron shouting in the heat of a game. Then it ventures into brainstorming - Tomokazu's bright idea to find the perfect creative outlet that could capture everything from LeBron's relationships with his family and friends to his unlimited will to continually grow and reinvent himself on the court.

Fearless.

It refuses to just be a word - or a literal interpretation. So Tomokazu focused heavily on a "reincarnation" design theme.

Ironically - because after all, we’re talking about a player whose statistics barely even begin to do the talking - it became a number system.

0, 1, 2, 3, 4.

"0" and "1" relate to birth and reincarnation in the Japanese Buddhist tradition; "4" is traditionally symbolic of the world "perish." Thin lines connect the numbers in between, which come to represent the orders and chaos of life.

Kinda like that state of organized supremacy LeBron drops on opposing teams through his connection with teammates and the reinvention of his craft of a nightly basis.

This one-of-a-kind design has more than 700 Swarovski crystals individually affixed to the shoes. Each one represents the Asian philosophy "Gyokuseki-Konko," implying that life is an amalgamation of rocks and jewels. They also capture the aesthetic of eternity and the minimal beauty of the reincarnation concept.

Tomokazu is a contemporary artist who lives and works in New York City. Influenced by everything from post-war contemporary art to pop culture, he exhibits his work internationally, showing in galleries and institutions from Los Angeles to Tokyo. Having spent his youth between Japan and America, Tomokazu features both the conscious and introspective response to tensions of bi-cultural experiences.

The result is exemplified prominently in the style and subject matter of his paintings.

And the New York Artist Series Air Max LeBron VII was simply his latest blank canvas.

"Life is filled with challenges and difficulties," he said, adding, "To overcome such hardships and to become 'Fearless' it is important to be able to count on the support of friends, family, teammates and loved ones. Those connections give us strength to move ahead into life's chaos without fear."

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII Artist Series Shanghai

jechee — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:29:14 GMT

Old. New. The intersection of the two - and the beauty of everything in between.

We’re talkin’ Shanghai here, people. And not just the city: an inspiration for Sic, a leading Chinese graffiti artist, to spray some of her creative touch on the Shanghai Artist Series Air Max LeBron VII.

Sic found a common ground between East and West, from the far-reaching sides of the globe on display to the local traditions and future prospects of each side of town.

With “Family” as the overarching theme, she started with an image of the Akron, Ohio “City Limits” sign. Sic also pays homage to LeBron’s hometown community with the words “Akron” and “SVSM” (for his high school) on the shoe collar.

The “Shi Ku Gate” - iconic in Shanghai neighborhoods and community life - also makes an appearance to capture the interconnectivity of the residents who live, work and socialize together. As most doorknobs in these communities are embossed with a lion head, you’ll find one on the shoe’s heel to symbolize prestige, status and LeBron’s signature icon.

Landmarks from the city explain what each side means. Nanjing Road for the traditions of “Old Shanghai”; The Bund and China Exibition Hall for more metropolitan present and future potential of the city.

“Overall, my design is inspired by the beauty of Old Shanghai and New Shanghai. Or in other words, the integration of a modern, traditional China,” says Sic.

Check out the photographs, and tell us what you think in the comments.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII Artist Series Shenyang

jechee — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:22:37 GMT

Bravery. When Ray Lei designed the Shenyang Artist Series Air Max LeBron VII, he had Chinese warrior images in mind.

And Fighting Irish mascots.

Loyalty. Lei personalized it further by adding symbols that mean something special to LeBron:

• "Irish" (and the color green) for the St. Vincent-St. Mary team
• "23" for his current NBA team, the Cleveland Cavaliers
• "330" (his hometown area code) for Akron, Ohio

Lei, a 22-year-old graduate of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, connected the host city's roots to the shoe through the use of cloud and water elements (a nod to the Qing dynasty) and Shenyang's official flower, the rose.

Playing on LeBron’s signature chalk dusting before each game, Lei infused fog patters into the design, showing love to Chinese fairy tales where troops would appear from the fog before battle.

Lei is currently taking masters classes with Professor Wu Guanying, the father of animation in China. His talents encompass a wide range of mediums, including cartoon, graphic design, illustration, short comic, graffiti and Hip-Hop music.

Check out the photographs, and tell us what you think in the comments.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII "Moon Cake"

jechee — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:51:28 GMT

Folk lore. A traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival and its delicacies. A transcendent basketball legend.

Add it all up: the Air Max LeBron VII China "Moon Cake."

A noble gold accents its white base, repping The King's honor and the bond between the Chinese elements and LeBron James.

The appreciation of flowers is a big deal during "Moon Cake." So, too: family reunions.

Taking the shape of a moon cake, the gold heel pattern specifically designed for LeBron captures the essence of the festival. We're talking happiness, bravery and all the season's greetings that chrysanthemums bring.

Good fortune is another central festival theme.

Enter: "Ruyi" and the "auspicious cloud" - sure signs of future good fortune and getting all that one’s heart desires. These two team up on behalf of all Chinese basketball fans to wish LeBron success in the upcoming NBA season.

Tracing back to the Chinese craft of paper-cutting, traditional handwriting and Chinese characters are placed in circles to symbolize the passionate game of basketball and LeBron's dedication to his craft. Centrally located in the design - and written in Chinese - you'll find the number seven. Combined with the heptagon, this one's easy:

Nike Air Max LeBron VII. The seventh version of his signature shoe.

What do you think? Speak your mind in the comments.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII Artist Series Beijing

jechee — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:38:08 GMT

First stop on the Chinese leg of the More Than A Game tour: Beijing.

"Tradition" served as the theme for the fourth version of the Limited Edition Air Max LeBron VII, captured in the form of a St. Vincent-St. Mary team pre-game ritual.

And the tradition didn't stop there. Le Quiqui, the designer of the Artist Series Beijing style, was inspired by the idea of Old Beijing - which happens to be the translation of LeBron's nickname in China, "Lao Beijing."

Quiqui put the power of the sun and the imperial heritage of the city on blast with his key color choice: gold. Exaggerated to spell out LeBron's trademark initials, "LBJ," the image of Si He Courtyard shows off the city's unique architectural roots.

Tradition strikes again through the placement of proverbs that the people of Beijing place on the gate pillars of their homes. Tying back to LeBron's unstoppable game and his "bring everything" on-court attitude, Quiqui used marks that mean "keep going, don't stop."

Rounding out the native classics: a lion, representing the two stone figures frequently present in Chinese architecture and one of LeBron's signature symbols. In case you were wondering: both denote prestige and status.

The 28-year-old draws inspiration for his work ranging from animation to graffiti - with both graphic and skateboard design in between - from Beijing's art and street culture. The man behind the Beijing Artist Series Air Max LeBron VII has a keen design eye.

"The eye at the back of the shoe is my good wish to LeBron...I wish for him to always have full visibility both on court and off court," says Quiqui.

Check out the photographs, and tell us what you think in the comments.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII Artist Series Akron

jechee — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:54:07 GMT

Third tour stop. Third Artist Series shoe.

LeBron's More Than A Game pit-stop in his hometown stomping grounds brought out the next edition of the Air Max LeBron VII. Local Akron artist James Hayden did the honors, delivering this one-of-a-kind customized shoe to the homegrown basketball legend.

Keeping up with the tour’s "family" touch, the Akron style includes an image of LeBron with his mother, Gloria. Hayden, a 34-year-old certified tattoo artist, felt an especially strong connection with this aspect of the shoe as his own mother helped hone his artistic skills from a young age. Kinda like Gloria and LeBron and all that hoop.

Raised on art programs and classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art from age 8-15, Hayden attended Cleveland Heights High School before colliding with his destiny: ink.

In 2000, he began exploring the world of tattoo art and it quickly took off as a career path. Hayden opened his first shop in Cleveland in 2005 and has since built a serious reputation in the wide world of body art. Professional athletes - including LeBron - took notice.

"My inspiration to design these shoes was driven by LeBron's tattoos," says Hayden.

"As an artist, it’s such an honor to tattoo an individual like LeBron. He’s a very focused person on and off the court - his love for family and his loyalty to his city are shown repeatedly in his tattoos. I wanted to replicate his dedication within the design on the shoes."

And now you can see the evidence in these limited-edition Akron Artist Series Air Max LeBron VIIs.

Check out the photographs, and tell us what you think in the comments.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII Artist Series DC

jechee — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:08:37 GMT

The LeBron James More Than A Game Tour hit the nation’s capitol for its second stop. The second edition of the Air Max LeBron VII followed suit.

The rule of thumb: white, with green trim. The end result? The respective city’s artist greatest whim. And with DC as the backdrop, “community” served as the central theme.

Cynthia Rudzis approached this shoe design like a tattoo: the balance of positive and negative space, with a nod to traditional imagery. The traditional image of choice: the St. Vincent-St. Mary team huddle - with cheering fans in the background.

From there, the shoe represents the head-on idea of a tattoo sleeve: one side slammed full of line and color; the other balanced in its natural state. An artistic hint of design ties the two together.

The end result: a “sleeved-out” left shoe complimented by a right shoe with traditional script.

With a long career steeped in graphic design and art direction, Rudzis left a corporate design tenure to pursue an apprenticeship as a tattoo artist. The evidence of her ability to embrace both solid design sensibility and a deep respect for Traditional American tattooing is more than evident in the final product:

The heart of the nation’s decision-making core.

Oh, and the DC Artist Series Air Max LeBron VII.

Check out the photographs, and tell us what you think in the comments.

The Collection 3.0: Air Max LeBron VII Artist Series Chicago

jechee — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:07:45 GMT

The LeBron James More Than A Game Tour hit the ground running in Chicago. Two jam-packed days in a city with a summer like none other set the tone for a worldwide athlete tour unlike anything the world had ever seen before.

And beyond the movie premiere, interviews with the director, cast and crew and the Seward Park basketball-on-blacktop/music/food/NikeID-design-a-tee extravaganza set to the Chicago skyline, one intricate display marked a special place in the middle of the mob scene: Chicago native Jeff Zimmerman’s Artist Series Air Max LeBron VII trophy case.

Carrying a cache of large-scale murals backed by worldwide acclaim, Zimmerman lent his artistic brilliance to the next generation of The King’s signature shoe. Balancing his contemporary pop-culture design eye with the eloquence of Chicago’s ebb and flow, he took the art of accentuating everything LeBron brings to the table to an entirely different level.

The result: an expression of No. 23’s positive energy through color and motion.

Experience. Practice. Hard work. Chicago. From the city flag to its world-famous hot dog stands, Zimmerman certainly put his stamp on the Air Max LeBron VII.

Tell us what you think about Jeff Zimmerman’s Artist Series Air Lax LeBron VII below.