As exciting as NBA All-Star Weekend can be, with Aaron Gordon looking to grab the Slam Dunk Contest crown and four Golden State Warriors playing on the floor at once for the Western Conference All-Stars, the shoes dropping this weekend will grab fans' attention just as much, if not more.
Let's take a look at some of them, as well as a sneak peak at this year's All-Star Game jerseys.
Jerseys
The NBA All-Star Game jerseys were revealed January 5. Here's a look at them via the NBA All-Star Game Twitter account:
The Eastern Conference team will wear the lighter grey jerseys, while the Western Conference teams will sport the charcoal.
To be frank, the jerseys are like the sartorial version of vanilla ice cream—it gets the job done, but it's bland.
Paul Lukas of Uni Watch has a theory on why that is the case:
Unlike other recent NBA All-Star uniforms, the designs are fairly generic, with no local flavor reflecting the host city. That's likely due to the game having been moved to New Orleans from Charlotte, which was originally slated to host the game. The NBA chose to relocate the game in response to North Carolina's controversial HB2 law, which limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people.
Aside from the colors, which simply don't work here, the lack of conference names makes the jersey choice questionable. Perhaps the powers that be were in a time crunch, but how can East and West not sneak on there somehow?
If the jerseys had the same type of flair as the official All-Star Game socks do, we'd be in great shape:
While the jerseys leave a lot to be desired, the shoes this year certainly do not.
Shoes
Not surprisingly, the best shoes released just prior or during All-Star Weekend have the name Jordan attached to them.
The Air Jordan 1 High All-Star is the real MVP of All-Star Weekend:
Jake Woolf of GQ wrote about the new sneakers in an article Thursday: "The high top is inspired by MJ's 1982 NCAA National Championship victory (which just happened to take place in New Orleans as well.) It's alluded to in the kicks' vamp, ankle, and heel, where iridescent blue details call to mind both Jordan's North Carolina uniform and the plastic-y sheen of Mardi Gras beads."
The Air Jordan 6 "All-Star" is a close second:
Andres Carrillo of Kicks on Fire provided more detail:
This brand new colorway of the Air Jordan 6 takes on a unique look as the entire upper is done in an iridescent leather that shifts colors when hit by the light. The iridescent leather upper is complemented by black detailing on the laces, tongue, inner liner, heel tab, and midsole. Lastly we have a semi-translucent outsole that matches up nicely with the colorful upper.
Nike also released a Black History Month collection featuring nine different types of sneakers, five of which have already sold out, per its website.
The highlight of that collection is the Air Jordan 1 Retro:
The black-and-gold color combination is fantastic. Gold is obviously a flashy color, but putting the Nike swoosh and Air Jordan logo in gold amid an all-black shoe was a concept that worked very well here, as it helped the gold stand out even more.
Here's another look at them from a different angle:
Two other shoes from the Black History Month collection stand out. First, the Kyrie 3:
The best part of these shoes is the marble design on the sole, which is a nice touch.
Here's Steven Ruiz of USA Today writing more about the Kyrie 3: "The shoes feature 'traction pods,' which are designed to 'enhance traction on hard cuts.' The laces “maximize forefoot motion while maintaining lockdown.' In other words, these shoes will help you cross defenders out of their minds, just like Kyrie."
The Air Force 1 is my personal favorite of the BHM collection:
Here's Carrillo again on these shoes: "This men’s Air Force 1 takes on a black nubuck upper that gives the shoe a tonal look. Metallic Gold accents are then present on the ankle strap that reads 'EQUALITY' as well as on the gold perforation rings on the mudguard. A black and white marbled midsole provides the shoe with a nice pop."
In sum, while the All-Star Game jerseys won't impress anyone, the sneakers featured this weekend certainly will.