This past week, sneaker and streetwear resale platform GOAT Group laid off dozens of employees across all divisions and quietly closed drop-off facilities in Miami and Los Angeles. These new layoffs follow a series of closures last fall, where authentication facilities in the UK, Japan, and Hong Kong were shuttered to “enhance and optimize operations.” While the retail boutique closures over the last few years have been discussed in-depth, the struggles with larger resale-oriented companies have largely remained out of the public eye. In this edition of the Sneaker News Roundup, we’ll take a look at GOAT’s recent layoffs and what their struggles could mean for the sneaker industry as a whole.

Before discussing the layoffs, it’s important to get an idea of the structure of GOAT’s business. You might think that GOAT is just the app that you buy sneakers on, but that’s actually only one of five distinct brands they own. The GOAT Group owns GOAT, Flight Club, Grailed, and Sneakers.com - four distinct sneaker and streetwear marketplace platforms, all of which have their own unique product offerings and consumer base. They also own alias, their seller and logistics platform where users can list their sneakers for sale simultaneously on all of the above marketplace platforms (except for Grailed). By owning multiple distinct brands in the same niche, GOAT is able to be somewhat flexible when reacting to trends. If cheap shoes are rising in popularity, they can promote Sneakers.com to customers and advise sellers on alias to list pairs that sell well on that website. If Louis Vuitton has a well-received collection, the company can do a big marketing push to fashion-oriented consumers on the GOAT app. If Division Street and the University of Oregon want to release another limited sneaker, Flight Club can create the in-person launch event that is guaranteed to catch headlines. It’s often difficult to remember how many brands some of these large ownership groups have control over (like JD Group and Snipes AB), but it’s important to understand that GOAT operates a number of different sales channels and deals with a large variety of economic struggles across the different brands.

The GOAT Group Closures: What Happened

Last Wednesday, the alias consignment drop-off center at Flight Club Miami was quietly closed and its employees were laid off. Florida-based alias users had the drop-off option removed from their app and were given zero notice of the closure. According to the Flight Club website (and the comments section of that Reddit post), the Los Angeles drop-off center has also closed for the foreseeable future. These consignment centers are very important for local high-volume sellers, as it allows their inventory to quickly be listed for sale without needing to ship it to a warehouse. Miami employees were told their layoffs were for ‘cost-cutting,’ and I expect the Los Angeles facility was closed for the same reason. I was surprised to hear that such an important feature for the highest tier of sellers had abruptly vanished, so quickly removed that the alias FAQ still lists these closed locations as drop-off centers. The bad news for GOAT employees continued throughout the week, as nearly every account manager sent an email to their partners stating that they were no longer with the company. It seems like mass layoffs have decimated every team at the company, as former QA experts, account managers, payment operations managers, and app developers have announced their firings on LinkedIn. Teams that were cut in last year’s rounds of layoffs were completely eliminated in this round, and even low-level retail workers at Flight Club NY were let go or had their hours restricted. Employees on Reddit claim their 10+ person teams have been reduced to a couple of people, and even the customer service department allegedly has only 3 employees left. These cost-cutting measures continue to compound on the customer experience, as buyers and sellers alike have certainly felt a decline in the quality of the service. Warehouse fulfillment is slower, authentication is less consistent, and the customer service experience takes longer and is less helpful. It feels like the quality of the platform is rapidly declining, and with the macroeconomic outlook getting worse every day it’s hard to see their path forward.

What’s Next for GOAT?

So, what does come next? As you’d expect, the struggles with GOAT are another sign of the times in terms of the economy. We’ve seen many sneaker boutiques close their doors, and financial issues with the resale market platforms is the next step in this economic struggle. I expect that other companies such as StockX are feeling similar pressures, with tariffs reducing international sales and consumers having less money to spend on luxury goods. Unlike GOAT, however, StockX has rolled out multiple new features to target new audiences and drive sales on cheaper items. Their controversial mystery box feature is a great way for them to reduce inventory and target a new audience (even if it’s just gambling with extra steps). Their Live Shopping and Listings feature are excellent for the budget-minded consumer who may want to get a steal or buy used, cheaper products. Each new feature is a new opportunity for StockX to market towards a budget-minded consumer, but these features also target the same audience of people who got used to shopping on StockX over the last few years. In contrast, GOAT Group’s only new budget-oriented ‘feature,’ Sneakers.com, is focused on attracting a new audience instead of adapting with their current one. A banner on Sneakers.com states “Seen on WWD, Popsugar, and The Cut” - three women-oriented news platforms that aren’t exactly focused on hype sneakers. A basic Google search reveals that WWD only wrote a handful of articles referencing GOAT in the last five years. GOAT’s poor response to the struggles of its consumer base have ultimately landed them in a uniquely bad situation. Their bad decisions and failure to pivot with their changing consumer have compounded to a point of no return, and I don’t think we’ve seen the end of the layoffs and closures as a result. We’ll have to keep a close eye on their yearly Black Friday event, as fumbling an incredibly important promotional period could be devastating for the company. What changes do you think GOAT could make to increase their revenue and prevent the need for cost-cutting measures in the future? Feel free to leave a comment on this post - I’d love to hear your ideas.

Assorted First Looks/News Updates

Melitta Baumeister teased her upcoming collaboration with Nike, her second this year. She is set to debut a brand-new silhouette called the Rift Rocker this holiday season in two colors - black and yukon brown. Based off the teaser images, it looks like the shoe will have a tabi toe and a sole similar to the CPFM x Nike Air Flea 2. Remember, we should see preorders start to ship in the next few weeks for the Melitta Baumeister x Nike Pegasus Plus and Vomero Premium - we’ll definitely have a ton of MB x Nike shoes on our feeds in the next few weeks!

Jordan Brand officially unveiled the Air Jordan 41 at their “The One” basketball tournament in Shanghai last week. This pair, like the Kobe 3 Low, takes inspiration from gemstones and comes in many jewel-themed colorways. The all-red pair is set to drop on October 25th for $205, with another seven colorways set to release through May 2027. There was a viral video of the very awkward reveal of the first Jordan 41 colorway, which marks another lackluster numbered Jordan release. It feels like the brand has struggled to produce a popular retro model for years, and the struggle certainly isn’t helped by the consistent high retail price. We’ll have to see if the technology is good enough for the pair to catch on, but for now I’m doubtful.

Caitlin Clark revealed a friendship bracelet-themed pair of Caitlin 1s this past week, one of many Caitlin 1 colorways she’s revealed over the last couple months. This pair draws clear inspiration from her friendship with Taylor Swift and has seen massive attention on social media as a result. This pair is currently set to release on February 24th, 2027 for $150. Clark and her design team have taken plenty of colorway inspiration from Swift, with a Chiefs-themed pair also set to release this December. It’s very surprising how many release colorways we’ve seen her wear despite her shoe not releasing until October 1st, but because of the WNBA schedule she isn’t able to market her shoes on-court while they are releasing. I’m curious to see how Nike’s marketing team handles the push for this sneaker with the WNBA’s season concluding shortly after the release of the first colorway. Expect Caitlin to reveal more pairs over the coming weeks.

Thanks for reading this week’s Sneaker News Roundup! In an effort to put out more consistent articles, I’ve started to cut down on the length of my stories and the number of assorted news topics I discuss. Again, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the GOAT layoffs - leave a comment or tag me on Twitter with your take (especially if you have any insight into the layoffs that I didn’t discuss!) If you aren’t subscribed already, make sure to click the button below to stay updated on all things sneakers.

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By now, you’ve probably seen dozens of posts with this same exact headline. You’ve probably scrolled by an Instagram post proclaiming “JORDAN BRAND IS DEAD!,” showing a screenshot from StockX of a recent Jordan Retro at astronomically low prices. Classic Jordan colorways like the True Blue 3s and Flint 13s went on sale at many stores, and new concepts like the Jordan 4 “Comic Book” are well under retail on aftermarket websites. Even new collaborations with Nigel Sylvester and Union Los Angeles are barely above retail, showing that working with popular people and brands doesn’t generate the same level of hype it used to. In this week’s roundup, I wanted to do an investigation into potential reasons for this demand drop-off and highlight a couple different ways Jordan Brand can try to revitalize demand going into 2027.

The Last Dance Is Over: It’s Not 2021 Anymore

One of the most obvious reasons for the decline in demand for Jordans is the shift in sneaker trends. When Netflix released Michael Jordan’s documentary “The Last Dance” in the spring of 2020, the demand for anything Jordan related skyrocketed. Retro Jordans like the Air Jordan 13 “Flint” sold out on day 1 and fetched very high prices on the resale market for a general release Jordan. Even the Jordan Centre Court, a non-retro, low-top, incredibly plain sneaker Michael Jordan wore in the documentary, sold out in all sizes when it launched in December 2020. The hype from the documentary series carried through 2021, lifting both Jordan Retro and non-retro models like the Jordan 1 Mid to new heights. The rise in popularity of athleisure during COVID certainly helped Jordan Brand’s popularity, which coincided with an increase in demand for Jordans from women and from European customers. Jordan was trendy in all demographics and regions, and this demand was reflected in high resale prices. In the words of NiceKicks founder Matt Halfhill, “This [market for Jordans] is just the result of a perfect storm of unpredictable things.” However, sneaker and fashion trends are cyclical. The massive demand for Jordan Retro began to wane as the years went on. The trend for women shifted from the Jordan 1 to the Adidas Samba, and China showed significant decline in sales for Jordan in the last couple years. As people emerged from COVID lockdowns, outdoor exercise like running and Hyrox has become incredibly popular and led to demand for performance apparel for those sports. We see this type of demand cycle with every sneaker. Think about a shoe like the Nike Dunk: it saw massive demand a few years ago, and while people still wear Dunks, the model certainly doesn’t have the cultural grip it had back in 2022. Jordan Retro is no different than the Dunk - people just don’t want Jordans as much as they used to.

Fashion trends are only part of the equation. Due to the massive economic slowdown from the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world spent trillions of dollars to stimulate their economies and prevent their citizens from suffering financially during the COVID lockdowns. The United States government spent nearly $5 trillion on COVID relief, distributing funds to businesses, spending money on disease preventions, and even issuing $931 billion in stimulus checks directly to consumers throughout 2021 and 2022. As a result, many people found themselves flush with new cash and were ready to spend it. Consumers had increased financial flexibility to spend money on luxury goods like Jordans, increasing the aftermarket prices of popular shoes like the “Fire Red” Air Jordan 4 from the mid-$200s in November 2020 to the $400 mark by January 2022. Resellers would buy any and every Jordan they could get, and consumers would almost always line up to spend inflated prices. However, the current economic situation could not be more different than five years ago. The delinquency rate on credit cards has nearly doubled since 2021, and job growth is at its lowest since the pandemic (with past jobs numbers getting revised down every month). Jordan Retros have a relatively high retail price, and those prices have only climbed since 2020. As consumer confidence weakens and fewer people can afford to spend large amounts of money on luxury goods like fashionable sneakers, it only makes sense that consumers would look for cheaper options. Most large footwear brands have desirable cheaper options that they can market to consumers, but Jordan Brand hasn’t released a cheap, culturally significant shoe in the last few years. This is not just an American issue, as Jordan Brand revenues in China have been down every quarter for the last two years. The macroeconomic conditions are making it much more difficult for people to buy expensive sneakers compared to a few years ago, and Jordan Retros are certainly suffering as a result.

Putting Up Shots: The Current Jordan Playbook

Between fashion cycles and macroeconomic trends, Jordan Brand is being slammed with pressure from all sides. However, they aren’t just sitting around and letting their revenues continue to fall. Jordan Brand has made a few key changes to their product lineup over the last couple years. One of the most noticeable additions has been the focus on Jordan Retro models from his post-Chicago Bulls era. We saw the Air Jordan 17 Low return with the original briefcase packaging back in 2024, and this year we saw the release of a retooled version of the Air Jordan 15. We’ll also see the Air Jordan 16 return later this year as a part of the “Black Pack” - a pack that also includes the 15 and 17 Low. Older sneakerheads have been asking for these models for years, and Jordan is satisfying their desires while also keeping production numbers limited. If one of these new Retro models fetches high resale prices, Jordan Brand knows that it’s safe to make more colorways with a higher stock level. If not, they try out a couple new colorways and put the sneaker model back on ice for a few years. This strategy allows the brand to sell through pairs quickly and test demand across different markets without clogging up their warehouses with sneakers people don’t want. These post-Bulls models all have a higher retail than the average Jordan Retro, but by keeping numbers low the brand guarantees a quick sellout. Jordan Brand is using the same strategy with the return of the Bin23 line - the premium materials and numbered pairs target the group of people who can afford the $350 retail price, while the low stock ensures that all pairs are sold within 24 hours of the release date. As the brand adds these luxury, niche silhouettes to their product slate, they’ve also been pulling back on the cheaper classics - particularly the Jordan 1 High. Back in 2021 and 2022, we saw a new GR Air Jordan 1 High colorway every month on top of collaborations. This year, we’ll only see 10 total Jordan 1 Highs release to the public - and half of those dropped during NBA All-Star Weekend! Jordan Brand is hoping to slowly build demand over time by making the model difficult to get and cutting the number of releases. The brand has used this strategy before on less popular models like the Air Jordan 2, so applying this methodology to a popular sneaker like the Air Jordan 1 illustrates how the brand is taking big swings to figure things out.

Jordan Brand as a whole has also been putting up plenty of shots outside of the Retro space. The brand continues to introduce silhouette after silhouette, hoping that one of them is successful with consumers. Shoes like the Jordan Triangle and the Jordan All Game target the lower-cost consumer looking for basketball sneakers, while the Jordan Pointe and Jordan Trunner O/S attempt to bring different fashion trends under the Jordan umbrella. The brand will continue to do this into 2027, with different new silhouettes debuting every quarter. We may even see collaborators debut new non-Retro silhouettes next year, although I can’t confirm that at the moment. It’s no surprise to see an influx of new models from Jordan Brand, as Nike has been doing the same thing for the last year with a focus on lower-cost models.

The playbook of trying a large volume of new things combined with bringing back previously vaulted models has worked for Jordan Brand and Nike in the past. For Nike, the new, unique colors of the Air Force 1 ‘01 have been selling fairly well following the model’s return into the limelight, and new silhouettes like the Nike Mind 001 are massively in demand with consumers around the world. However, despite their best attempts, we simply haven’t seen the same level of success when it comes to Jordan Brand. If you go to the StockX Featured tab and filter by Jordan, only eight sneakers have a Lowest Ask over retail - two of those eight sneakers are unreleased, and three are Travis Scott Jordan 1 Lows. (The other three are the Jordan 5 “Wolf Grey,” the Jordan 5 “Black/University Blue,” and last year’s Jordan 4 “Black Cat” if you were curious.) Their new silhouettes also don’t seem to be performing that well - most of these new models are on sale right now, meaning there is not enough demand at retail to sell these out. These low aftermarket prices are tough for retailers who sell Jordans, as they are forced to discount the shoes and trim their margins to stay competitive with the resale apps. Jordan Brand’s new, low-cost models are regularly discounted on Nike.com, needing significant sales for any size to sell out. If you’re a retail store and Jordan is trying to sell you on next year’s catalog, it’s becoming harder and harder to justify spending your money on their products. We’ve seen many boutiques close in the last couple years due to economic conditions, and some of these stores simply can’t afford to take the risk on buying Jordans that consumers don’t want.

Jordan Brand’s Path Forward: Community Building and Release Trimming

At this point in the article, you’re probably wondering what the magical solution is that will turn the brand around and bring it back to the era of infinite demand. Unfortunately, our world is so complex and filled with different market forces that there is no bandaid solution that will cure everything for the brand. If Jordan Brand wants to increase revenues in the short term, the strategies they use may decrease demand in the long term. If they want to build for the future, they may have to sacrifice revenue for the next few quarters to readjust their positioning. While there’s no clear path forward, there are a couple of strategies that the brand should be using regardless of their direction: local exclusive launches and release trimming.

One of the most interesting aspects of the return of the post-Bulls Jordan models is their exclusivity. Nearly every Jordan Retro releases on the Nike SNKRS app or Nike’s desktop website, making it very easy for a consumer to find and purchase the newest sneakers. Nike’s free shipping and returns policy is excellent compared to other options, so many people opt to buy their sneakers from Nike before trying other places. This is tough on smaller boutiques who can’t offer the same consumer benefits as Nike, forcing them to offer discounts or sell on the aftermarket to get their inventory in front of more people. This isn’t the case for the recent Jordan 15, 16, and 17 releases - they’ve been exclusively released at boutiques, with no pairs released through Nike’s website. This strategy forces a consumer to shop regularly at their local store since it’s the only place that carries the product they’re looking for. The consumer becomes willing to put in significant effort to get their pairs, especially if the store is doing some sort of in-store sales method. By combining boutique only releases with regional exclusive sneaker launches, Jordan Brand can create a loyal customer base for the boutique as the customers shop in-person first instead of looking online. This local-oriented business model incentivizes boutiques to continue buying Jordans, since they would have a group of loyal customers who primarily buy that brand of sneaker. Boutique exclusive launches drive consumer and boutique demand, creating a positive feedback loop for Jordan Brand for their in-demand sneakers.

The key point of the local launches is in that last sentence: the sneakers need to be in-demand. This ‘in-demand’ category for Jordans has been growing smaller and smaller as fashion trends change and people’s economic outlook weakens. People are becoming more picky as they look to cut expenses - instead of buying the Tour Yellow 4s or the Halloween 5s, someone might wait for the Bred 4s in November or buy the Metallic 5s for resale. If a store is full of Jordans that people don’t want, the store won’t continue to buy similar Jordans (or maybe any Jordans) in the future. As a result, the brand needs to adequately match the consumer’s preference to keep up demand. They can make fewer pairs of a less desirable colorway, or even cut a launch entirely if it’s apparent the demand won’t be there. Stores will have more money to spend on more popular, faster-selling releases, and consumers looking for a Jordan 4 or Jordan 5 will have to choose those more popular colors. Trimming releases is not as simple as saying ‘Release only the best sneakers,’ but releasing fewer total pairs overall will result in higher resale prices and a higher perceived demand for Jordans.

It’s important to note that the demand for popular Jordan colors is incredibly strong, even at reduced price points. The Air Jordan 4 “Toro Bravo” that released back in May has over 23,000 sales on StockX in the last three months - and an average price premium of -20%. Even though these are well under the $220 retail price, there is plenty of demand to pay over the wholesale price. This demand is good for retailers who can offer a 20% off sale and clear out their inventory at a profit. Jordan Brand doesn’t need to make sure every sneaker goes crazy on the resale market - they just need to manufacture products that their retail partners can make money on.

The Future of Jordan Brand

With all that said, where will Jordan Brand go from here? After seeing some of the Summer 2027 releases, it seems like we’ll be seeing more of the same for now. The sellout sneakers like the Jordan 3 “White Cement” are few and far between, while random retros like the Jordan 6 “Light Aqua” and the Jordan 12 “Soft Blue” are destined to sit on sale on store shelves. Consumers will likely continue to struggle globally in 2027, further reducing demand for luxury goods like Jordans. It’ll probably be a while before we see any significant change in terms of release strategy. Yet we’re seeing the seeds of change appear in 2027 - local themed releases for the Super Bowl and All-Star Weekend, release tie-ins with significant pop culture moments, and the removal of all Jordan 1 High general release launches all show that the brand is starting to make big changes to climb back to their previous heights. We’ll have to wait and see if these efforts are successful, or if the demand for Jordans will continue to slide.

Assorted First Looks/News Updates

Undefeated and Jordan Brand are set to collaborate once again next February for NBA All-Star Weekend. The two brands will be releasing two colors of the Air Jordan 5 on February 18th for $230, both of which seem to be themed after military surplus gear. It’s exciting to see Undefeated try something new - it feels like most of their work with Jordan Brand has been themed around their Jordan 4 collaboration from 2006, so it’s cool to see them mix it up a bit while still staying true to their brand. I’m really hoping the stripe across the tongue doesn’t stay for the final release, but we’ll have to wait for more pictures. This was a very unique leak compared to ones I’ve posted about in the past. My friend Vlad from Sneaker Market RO and I posted about the two colors in the morning, and within 12 hours the public had seen high-quality in-hand photos of a sample pair - definitely not normal for Jordan leaks!

Nike is set to debut the Nike Kobe NXT in 2027, his first new signature sneaker since his death in 2020. The initial colorway, labeled the Kobe NXT Prototype, is set to retail for $410 and release in Summer 2027. I was absolutely astounded when I initially saw this retail price, and I thought it was a mistake that the brand would eventually notice and correct. I have to assume that this pair will be limited or exclusive in some way, as $410 is an absurd price for a Nike performance basketball sneaker. The Kobe NXT 1.0, which will launch at the same time in three different colorways, only retails for $210 - a much more reasonable price. The Kobe team has a lot more in the pipeline, and it’s exciting to see them move beyond the confines of the Protro line while still honoring his legacy.

Earlier this month, official images loaded for the absolutely massive Pokemon x adidas footwear collection, seemingly releasing to celebrate Pokemon TCG’s 30th anniversary. The lineup features over fifteen different sneakers, themed after popular Pokemon like Pikachu, Charizard, Gengar, Mewtwo, and Rayquaza. All of these are currently scheduled to launch on September 22nd in the United States, but adidas is always fluid with their release dates and this could certainly change. Adidas and Pokemon have products in the pipeline for next year as well, with Psyduck and Arcanine-themed sneakers scheduled for 2027.

Pharrell Williams was spotted in a brand-new Adidas sneaker while at Disney World with Quavo last week. It’s hard to say whether or not this is even a Pharrell collaboration, but he does have multiple unrevealed silhouettes in the works with Adidas that are set to debut in the next 6 months. The launch of his Water Moc is imminent (pairs may release as soon as September 5th), and a Jellyfish V2 may be in the pipeline for early 2027.

Last weekend, Nike finally announced their collaboration with legendary manga and anime series One Piece. The collection features three Devil Fruit-themed sneakers, as well as a range of apparel items. This isn’t the first time Nike has worked with an anime series, as they released the Yu-Gi-Oh! Air Max 95s around this time last year. If you’re looking to get a pair of these, Nike has set up plenty of hoops for you to jump through. The “Gum-Gum Fruit” pair will release via preorder in some countries, but will be available for immediate purchase in others. The “Flame-Flame Fruit” pair will be a boutique-only drop in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Australia, Indonesia, and Mexico, while the “Op-Op Fruit” pair will only release at boutiques in the US and select European countries. Korea will have SNKRS exclusive access, while the US has a raffle for a chance of getting access to preorder on SNKRS. The release procedure is so convoluted that Nike had to create their own graphic detailing when and where the collection would be released - and even that photo doesn’t tell you which items each store will sell. In the words of Sockjig, “They’ve layered all the gimmicks in one release.” The Nike News page promises even more surprises for this release in the next month, so you’ll have to stay tuned to see what they have in store.

My apologies for the delay on this post - it’s been hard to maintain consistent output on Substack while also working a 9-5! Thank you for reading, and be sure to subscribe for more sneaker updates - the Q4 collaborator breakdown is just around the corner!

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StockX’s Mystery Boxes

On Thursday, July 9th, StockX unveiled a brand new feature seemingly out of nowhere: StockX Mystery Boxes. The initial unveil featured six different boxes, ranging in price from $25 to $200. Each of the boxes features a single product type (sneakers, clothing, accessories, etc.), and you’re able to select the size you want before purchasing the box. The items are separated into tiers based on price, with the odds of receiving an item in each tier getting lower as the price of each tier gets higher. When you open the box, you can choose to have the item shipped to you or receive up to 90% of the item value in StockX credit. The unique thing about the StockX boxes is that the lowest possible item price is equal tonthe value of the box, so the company has been saying that when you purchase a box, “you never take a loss.” If you’ve ever bought a GameStop Power Pack, this is essentially the exact same type of product but for sneakers. StockX sources their inventory from preverified Flex listings, meaning if you send in an item to StockX for consignment then it’s entirely possible that you sell your item to someone who bought a Mystery Box.

I was curious to see how the system worked, so I reached out to StockX and they gave me around $100 in credit to try buying a box. The first thing I noticed when I attempted to buy a box is the selection. Since StockX uses tiers based on item price instead of a curated pool of potential items, there’s essentially no filters on what brand, gender, or style of item you can get. With essentially zero refinement on the types of items you can get, I don’t see how this would appeal to a person who was not simply buying a box to win money. With such a large category of items in their inventory, what are the odds you win an item that you would actually want to keep? I assume future boxes will offer more narrow types of boxes, but for now this is a pretty glaring issue. I bought the $100 Sneaker box, which was actually $108 after the 8% processing fee. I watched the box spin on my screen, revealing the Nike Air Max 1 “USA” valued at $102 - an item from the lowest price tier of the box. Once you unveil your box, you have five minutes to decide whether you want to pay to have your item shipped to you, or whether you want to trade the item in for StockX credit. This credit offer is not cash; you cannot withdraw your credits to your bank account, and you must spend them within a calendar year. I didn’t really want to spend $15 to have these Air Maxes shipped to me, so I decided to run it back again with a cheaper box. I paid $4 to cover part of the processing fee for the $90 Apparel Box, and once again I ended up with an item from the lowest price tier. I opened more boxes and watched my credit drop from $100 to $25, receiving only the lowest value items from each box. You probably think you know where this story is heading - I’ll be just like the guy on Twitter who bought 40 of these boxes and got absolutely nothing. However, on my final $25 Collectibles Mystery Box, the unthinkable happened: the box contained a LEGO set valued at $49! I had landed a product in the $40-$59 tier, which only had a 3% chance of dropping from the box. I immediately attempted to ship this item to my house, since I doubted I would continue to get this lucky if I opened more boxes. However, when I attempted to pay the $18 for shipping, I received a payment decline. As I watched the timer tick down, I tried everything to ensure that I received this winning item. I changed my card, I tried to refresh the page, I switched browsers, and I even pulled up the StockX app on my phone to try and pay for the shipping. When the timer hit 0:00, the page changed and said that my payment had failed and my account was credited $49. However, when I went to check my email, I noticed that I had also received a an order confirmation email from StockX. For some weird reason, they had both credited my account the value of the item in the mystery box while also shipping me the item from the mystery box. It seems like the company has not worked out all the kinks of the system, as errors similar to this one are fairly common. One of my friends attempted to exchange a pair of X-Ray Kobe 5 Protros from a $100 Mystery Box for $258 in credit, but the button to trade for credit did not work and he was billed $23 and shipped the item. For me, I figured that StockX had simply made a mistake and my credit would be removed once my item shipped. This was not the case - I received a FedEx tracking number and still had the $49 in my account. I proceeded to buy more mystery boxes until my credit was too low to continue, once again only getting the lowest tier of items in each box. In total, I spent $110 in StockX Credit and $12 of my own money to open twelve StockX Mystery Boxes. I finished with a LEGO Corvette valued at $49, and $22 in StockX Credit - far from “never taking a loss” like the initial promotion said.

Mystery boxes have existed in the sneaker space in both physical and digital forms for years, and it’s pretty clear that sneakerheads have grown distrustful of the concept over time. Between websites like Mystery Brand paying influencers in credit and SneakerCon attendees selling expensive boxes containing cheap sneakers to young children, there simply has not been a ‘mystery’ concept that has made a positive impact on the sneaker community. Yet, as we see society continue to gamify every aspect of our lives, it should not be a surprise that we see a major company in the sneaker space attempt to add just a little more gambling to your life. Prediction markets and their massive global success have opened the floodgates for these pseudo-gambling products, selling a ‘get-rich-quick’ button to a populace who is being squeezed by rising prices, mass layoffs, and a serious concern about their future financial stability. We are being bombarded on all sides with advertisements for betting in various forms (options trading, sports betting, prediction markets, even Nike’s blind box Kobe 4s!), and so it is frustrating but unsurprising when a new product emerges to attempt to capitalize on this trend. The only people who benefit from the StockX Mystery Boxes are StockX sellers, who most likely will see improved sell-through on their Flex inventory across the board. Even this benefit could be temporary - it wouldn’t surprise me if StockX starts charging sellers to have their inventory featured in the Mystery Boxes, just like they do for their promoted listings. As usual with any form of gambling, the house always wins: StockX collects their 8% fee on each Mystery Box purchase, and you’re forced to spend your winnings on the platform as you are unable to cash out your credit. From a moral perspective, I deeply dislike bringing a gambling vehicle to an audience and advertising it as a platform where you can “never lose.” Gambling is inescapable in the world we live in today, and with each new gamified product we continue to push people towards addiction and financial ruin. I don’t feel like this is a very groundbreaking opinion, but as we see more sneaker companies lean into this ‘mystery’ product concept I do feel it is worth saying.

Overall, the StockX Mystery Boxes are a great way for the company to move the low-volume products that take up precious warehouse space faster than normal. If you’re not a person who gambles, then this simply isn’t a product for you - just buy the item that you wanted instead of gambling on getting an item that you like. If you are someone who gambles, the website bugs and credit you can’t cash out lead me to say you’re better off trying different websites with cash withdrawals and fewer glitches. I think StockX has added some very exciting features in the last few months like StockX Listings and Store at StockX, but Mystery Boxes are certainly a misstep in what was otherwise a solid lineup of new services. I hope that other companies who are considering adding gambling features to their websites weigh the impact of consumer perception as well as the financial gain, and I hope we see less gambling products in the future.

Assorted First Looks/News Updates

Bad Bunny and Adidas are set to continue their partnership with the debut of a brand-new model this week. The F50 Ghost Sprint, releasing on July 18th for $160, takes the sole from the adidas Ghost Sprint and combines it with the upper from the adidas F50+ Spider. It seems like Adidas has recently given Bad Bunny the green light on creating his own sneaker models, as this is the second new model he has debuted this year. It’s interesting to see how his work with Adidas has shifted from modifying existing silhouettes to creating entirely new ones, and it has been equally as interesting to see which ideas hit with consumers and which don’t. Along with the F50 Ghost Sprint, we received a look at the brand-new BadBo 1.1. This low-top version of the BadBo 1.0 is set to drop later this year for $120 in a few different colors. Expect even more new sneaker models from Bad Bunny and Adidas in 2027, including the long-awaited debut of the Stone Slide!

Victor Solomon teamed up with Nike once again to release a second iteration of his “Trophies” collection this past weekend. The three sneakers, this time coming in black, released at ShoePalace in Las Vegas via an instore raffle. The timing coincides with NBA Summer League, which traditionally doesn’t have a whole lot of exciting in-person sneaker launches. Victor Solomon’s work encapsulates Nike’s shift away from global online sneaker launches to intimate in-person pop-ups and activations. The brand has always paired its product launches with big sporting events, but we’re seeing that pairing intensify with exclusive sneakers at the Super Bowl, WNBA All-Star Weekend, NBA Summer League, and even company-run events like TOMA. Expect Nike to continue to increase their presence at these events with exclusive product and activations.

AJ Dybantsa recently debuted the brand new Nike G.T. Flight at Summer League in Las Vegas, scoring 27 points in his opening game against the Jazz. These are essentially a G.T. Future Low - they feature the same sole, and seem to have the same socklike interior that is present underneath the G.T. Future’s hard shell. This pair features AJ’s new logo on the heel, as well as a mini Nike swoosh cut into the sneaker on the toebox. The G.T. Flight is currently set to drop in a black and metallic silver colorway on February 4th, 2027, along with two other brand-new G.T. models we’ll likely see previewed in the coming months. These will retail for $180, but upcoming colorways will be as high as $230 and feature premium materials.

Brazilian menswear brand P. Andrade revealed their new collaboration with Nike at Paris Fashion Week, showing off their take on the Moon Shoe in their SS27 fashion show. It’s not clear whether or not these will release to the public, or if they were a one-off custom designed for the show. Regardless, designer Pedro Andrade and Nike will be working together once again on a collaboration in 2027. We’ll continue to see Nike expand beyond their traditional collaboration spheres in the USA, Europe, and East Asia in 2027 - expect Nike to release more sneakers with African and South American artists and brands.

Thank you all for reading Volume 5 of my Sneaker News Roundup! We just hit 100 subscribers on Substack, which is a pretty big accomplishment. Once again, if there’s any stories that you’d like to see me cover, feel free to leave a comment or tag me on Twitter/Instagram!

Brief explanation on the dates/terminology: Nike has four distinct seasons - Spring, Summer, Fall, and Holiday. These are essentially the same as quarters (Spring is Q1, Summer is Q2, etc). We’re right at the time where saying ‘Fall’ gets super confusing - for Nike, Fall means July, August, and September. Throughout this article, I may say ‘Q3,’ ‘Fall 2026,’ or reference a specific month in that timeframe.

A Ma Maniere x Nike Air Force 1 ‘07

• Sneaker Models: Nike Air Force 1 ‘07 (6 colors)

• Retail: $150

• Release Date: July 1st, 2026

Longtime collaborators A Ma Maniere have made six different colors of Air Force 1s, featuring their logo on both the midsole and the heel as well as on the sockliner. This year has been a bit weird for A Ma Maniere’s Nike collaborations - we were supposed to receive multiple pairs of AMM x Nike V5 RNRs and ReactX Rejuven8 mules earlier this year, but despite having official images we still have not seen them release. While I have not written about them in this article, it’s entirely possible that we see those drop during Q3 - I just don’t have a release date for them at the moment. These AF1s were originally scheduled for Summer 2026, but got moved to July 1st a month or so ago. They’re also scheduled for Holiday 2026, so it’s entirely possible that we see these get moved again despite having the photos.

Beyond Store x Nike SB Dunk High

• Sneaker Models: Nike SB Dunk High

• Retail: $140

• Release Date: July 2026

Finnish skateshop Beyond Store is set to release a SB Dunk High this fall to celebrate their store’s 20th anniversary. We haven’t seen a SB Dunk High since Antihero’s collaboration in November 2024, and I don’t expect we’ll see another one in the near future. While I do expect these to release globally at different skateshops and be somewhat easy to get due to the lack of demand for SB Dunk Highs, the numbers should be fairly limited - this release will have roughly half the stock of the Bluetile SB Dunks.

Chevrolet x Nike Book 2

• Sneaker Models: Nike Book 2

• Retail: $155

• Release Date: August 26th, 2026

Devin Booker is set to collaborate with Chevrolet once again, following up their collaboration from last year. There are multiple pairs scheduled to be released, with the first having a release date of August 26th. I’m not expecting a lifestyle sneaker integration as a part of this collaboration - we did see the Blazer Low last year, but don’t expect anything similar this year. We should also see some t-shirts, just as we saw last year.

Corteiz x Nike Shox R419

• Sneaker Models: Nike Shox R419 (3 colors)

• Retail: $200

• Release Date: Q3

Corteiz is set to drop their fourth Nike collaboration soon, remixing the Nike Shox R4 into their own unique silhouette. These are set to release in three different colorways: a metallic silver pair, a black pair, and a game royal pair, all of which with red accents. A multi-item apparel collection will also be accompanying this release, featuring tracksuits and other Shox-related apparel. We’re still waiting for our first look at this collaboration, so stay tuned for future updates.

Distance x Nike Running Capsule

• Sneaker Models: Nike Vomero Plus, Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% 4

• Retail: $190 (Vomero) / $280 (Vaporfly)

• Release Date: July 23rd, 2026

Nike Running has been stepping up their collaboration game this year, and they plan to keep rolling this fall. Following up on Melitta Baumeister and Renegade Running collaborations earlier this year, Nike has tapped French store Distance Running for their take on some of the Nike Running models. The Vaporfly NEXT% comes in a bright Total Orange and Metallic Silver color scheme, while the Vomero Plus is more basic in White, Metallic Silver, and some Volt accents. These two pairs currently have a July 23rd release date, but it’s possible that Distance releases the shoes earlier. Expect a first look at the Vaporfly very soon.

Ducks of a Feather x Nike Total 90 “The Beautiful Game”

• Sneaker Models: Nike Total 90

• Retail: TBD

• Release Date: July

Following the ultra-limited DOAF Air Max 1 release in Japan, Nike and Ducks of a Feather have made a woven pair of Total 90s to celebrate the World Cup. According to Complex, these are limited to 300 total pairs and will most likely be sold at Flight Club locations in the United States (as DOAF usually does for these ultra limited collabs). Complex has also stated that these will release sometime in July, so I expect Flight Club to post more information soon.

FC Barcelona x Nike Kobe Collection

• Sneaker Models: Nike Kobe 3 Low Protro, Nike Dunk Low Protro

• Retail: $190 (Kobe 3 Low) / $135 (Dunk Low)

• Release Date: July 31st, 2026

Nike and FC Barcelona are following up last year’s Kobe 4 Protro with another Kobe capsule, this time featuring the Kobe 3 Low. These will come in a similar color scheme to the Kobe 4s, featuring a black and metallic gold upper with Electro Purple accents. The Kobe 3 Lows will also be accompanied by a Dunk Low Protro, a new take on the Dunk Low featuring a drop-in ReactX midsole as well as other small refinements that mirror tech seen in Kobe’s basketball sneakers. Both pairs are set to drop on July 31st, 2026. Expect accompanying jerseys and team wear to release as well, similar to what we saw last year.

Kith x Nike “Linen” Collection

• Sneaker Models: Nike Air Force 1 Low, Nike Air Max 95

• Retail: $140 (Air Force 1) / $190 (Air Max 95)

• Release Date: Q3 - likely in July

After a bit of a delay, Nike and Kith are set to collaborate once again on the Air Force 1 Low and the Air Max 95. This was originally supposed to be a grade school-exclusive release, but after an appearance on the Joe and Jada Podcast we saw some men’s sizes added to the release calendar. The Air Max 95 adapts the iconic “Linen” Air Force 1 colorway, while the new Air Force 1 inverts it into an “Un-Linen” pair. With the very late add of these men’s sizes, it would not surprise me if we saw a preorder instead of a release with pairs in-hand (just like the Knicks AM95 from a couple weeks ago). These should have released in Summer 2026, but I’m assuming they’ve been flexed a few weeks so Ronnie could release his original New Balance model.

Museum of Modern Art x Nike Rift 2

• Sneaker Models: Women’s Nike Rift 2 (2 colors)

• Retail: $130

• Release Date: Q3

Following the MoMA x Nike Everyday Socks from 2024 and the ultra-limited MoMA Design Store exclusive “Reverse Neon” Air Max 95 from last year, Nike and the Museum of Modern Art are working together on the Women’s Nike Rift 2. These will drop in two different colors - a black and light fuchsia pair, and a Hyper Verde and light fuchsia pair. MoMA will also drop two $50 t-shirts this fall, presumably to match the sneakers. We still have yet to see a first look of these, so stay tuned for more info.

NakedCPH x Nike Shox Z Calistra

• Sneaker Models: Women’s Nike Shox Z Calistra

• Retail: $145

• Release Date: Q3

Nike recently loaded photos of this surprise sequel to NakedCPH’s Shox collaboration from March of this year. Unlike their last greyscale Calistra, this pair features a white upper covered in polka dots with red accents throughout. These are set to drop in the fall for $145, and I do expect they’ll be a Europe exclusive like the last collab.

NOCTA x Nike KD 19

• Sneaker Models: Nike KD 19 (multiple colors)

• Retail: $170

• Release Date: Q3

Drake has been instrumental in the rollout of the KD 19, featuring in multiple different advertisements for the sneaker. We’ve seen multiple sample colorways of Drake’s NOCTA label taking on the KD 19, featuring contrasting mini swooshes and the NOCTA logo by the toebox. It’s not clear which colors of the collaboration will release to the public at this time, so we’ll have to wait and see for more Drake and Kevin Durant ads from Nike. We’ll also be seeing a collaborative NOCTA x Nike KD apparel capsule, featuring performance basketball clothing and a couple lifestyle items.

One Piece x Nike Air Max Plus

• Sneaker Models: Nike Air Max Plus (3 colors)

• Retail: $210

• Release Date: Q3

Japanese manga series One Piece is set to collaborate with Nike on three different colorways of the Air Max Plus, each based on a different Devil Fruit from the manga. This is certainly one of the most highly anticipated collaborations of the year, as the massive One Piece fandom has been surging recently due to the One Piece Trading Card Game, Netflix’s live action adaptation of the anime series, and the announced anime reboot. The three shoes will come in Space Purple, Very Berry, and Brilliant Orange, each of which will be accompanied by matching jerseys and hats. We don’t have a release date yet for these, so stay tuned for more updates as well as a first look at the sneakers.

Paris Saint-Germain x Nike KD 6

• Sneaker Models: Nike KD 6

• Retail: $135

• Release Date: September 18th, 2026

For the first time in Nike’s retro of the KD 6, they’ll be dropping a brand new colorway in collaboration with Paris Saint-Germain. We’ve seen two colorways of these, but I’m not sure if both pairs will release to the public. At the moment, the pictured metallic silver pair is the one currently scheduled to release in the United States. It’s possible we see the other white pair drop, but I can’t confirm that it will release to the public at the moment.

SLAM Magazine x Nike Basketball Collection

• Sneaker Models: Nike Zoom Hyperflight, Nike Sabrina 4

• Retail: $170 (Hyperflight) / $135 (Sabrina)

• Release Date: August 14th, 2026 (Hyperflight) / August 17th, 2026 (Sabrina)

SLAM Magazine is set to release a number of different Nike sneakers to the public this year, continuing their yearslong partnership. The Zoom Hyperflight and the Sabrina 4 are set to drop this fall, with more pairs (including a Jason Williams PE edition of the Hyperflight) set to release later this year. We saw Nick DePaula debut the bright orange Hyperflight earlier this year, featuring a SLAM logo on the tongue and an S on the heel. The Sabrina 4 is still unseen, but we’ll most likely see them worn in the next month.

Soulgoods x Nike Homescape Woven

• Sneaker Models: Nike Homescape Woven (3 colors)

• Retail: $180

• Release Date: July 11th, 2026

After a monthslong delay, Beijing-based store and streetwear brand Soulgoods is set to release a brand new Nike model. The Homescape, a retooling of the Footscape designed to be easily slipped on, has been made in three different colors: brown, red, and blue. The brown one should be the most widely available, as it seems to be the only color that is being marketed by the main Nike Sportswear channels. These are currently set to release globally on July 11th for $180.

Supreme x Nike Air Force 1 Low

• Sneaker Models: Nike Air Force 1 Low (2 colors)

• Retail: $124

• Release Date: Late August-early September 2026

To kick off their FW26 season, Supreme is set to introduce two new colorways of their ‘Box Logo’ Air Force 1 Low. These have been a staple of every Supreme season since SS20, with occasional color variations being introduced like the Wheat pair, the Dark Brown pair, and more recently the White/Black and Black/White pairs. These two new pairs both are primarily “Multicolor,” which suggests we may see some sort of pattern, print, or material change. These new colors of the AF1 Low should drop alongside the regular black and white AF1s that we see every season, and we should get our first looks at them in the Supreme lookbook this August. Supreme and Nike should also have a large apparel capsule dropping, but I’m not sure if it will be along with the shoes.

TITAN x Nike Air Zoom G.T. Cut

• Sneaker Models: Nike Air Zoom G.T. Cut (2 colors)

• Retail: $200

• Release Date: August 20th, 2026

Philippines-based basketball sneaker store TITAN 22 debuted three player exclusive colorways of the Air Zoom G.T. Cut during the NBA Playoffs in partnership with star rookie guard Dylan Harper. While the turquoise “Daybreak” pair is set to release on June 20th, the two other pairs he wore in the Spurs’ playoff run are currently set to release on August 20th. Expect TITAN to have an early launch with a special instore activation.

Tom Sachs x Nike General Purpose Shoe

• Sneaker Models: Nike General Purpose Shoe (2 colors)

• Retail: $110

• Release Date: Q3

For those of you who are still fans of Tom Sachs, we’ll see some more General Purpose Shoe colorways release in the next few months. The “I.S.R.U. Loser” pair is set to be shipped during Fall 2026, and we’ll also see the black pair that dropped in Europe earlier this year hit more stores. I’m not sure if these will drop in stores or even on SNKRS, but demand is certainly low for this model so it won’t be too difficult to pick these up on the resale market.

Union Los Angeles x Nike Dunk Low

• Sneaker Models: Nike Dunk Low (3 colors)

• Retail: $135

• Release Date: Q3

Union Los Angeles is set to release three different pairs of regular Nike Dunk Lows this fall, along with an accompanying apparel collection. We’ve only seen really bad photos of the black pair so far, but I expect the other two pairs to look similar in different earth tones. Expect better looks at these in the near future - I don’t really have much else to say about this collab.

Victor Solomon x Nike “Lux Pack”

• Sneaker Models: Nike Air Foamposite One, Nike Air Force 1 Low ‘07, Nike Air Max 90

• Retail: $350 (Foamposite) / $250 (the other two)

• Release Date: Q3

Following his “Trophies” collection for All-Star Weekend, Nike is set to work with the LA-based artist once again on black versions of the same three sneakers. These were a very late add to Nike’s release calendar, so it’s possible that these (like the Kith AF1s and AM95s) are some sort of preorder? It’s not clear whether or not these will be simple color flips or if they will resemble some of the samples shown off at the ShoePalace Melrose activation back in February, so we’ll have to wait and see for more information. Expect more from Victor Solomon and Nike later this year and next year!

Victor Victor x Nike Air Force 1 Low ‘01

• Sneaker Models: Nike Air Force 1 Low ‘01

• Retail: $150

• Release Date: Q3

Steven Victor and Nike are set to drop five total colorways of the Nike Air Force 1 Low ‘01, with two of those colors set to release this fall. The colors are supposed to match Steven Victor’s cars, with different brightly colored shades matched with black outsoles to represent the car tires (I think?). I expect these to release around September since there are more colorways releasing in Q4 - it would surprise me if they drop half of the collaboration in early Q3 and the other half in late Q4. Expect better looks at the red pair soon.

Yuto Horigome x Nike SB Air Force 1 Low

• Sneaker Models: Nike SB Air Force 1 Low

• Retail: $125

• Release Date: Q3

Japanese professional skateboarder Yuto Horigome is following up his fan favorite Nike SB Dunk collaborations with the first ever collaboration on the Nike SB Air Force 1. These are likely set to release in August based on the other SB release dates, but a hard date is still to be determined. These will have some of the highest stock of any SB release this year, but Yuto’s last collaboration was highly stocked and still pretty tough to get so don’t sleep if you want these.

That’s all for the Nike collaborations I am currently aware of - I am expecting more to be unveiled over the coming months (potentially a collab on a brand-new Air Max model? We’ll have to wait and see). Stay tuned to my Twitter for more updates on release dates or any changes to this list!

Caitlin Clark

There’s no better athlete to start this post with than Caitlin Clark. After a slew of Nike Kobe colorways, Clark is set to debut her new signature sneaker on October 1st for $140. The shoes have a forefront Air Zoom Turbo unit with a Cushlon midsole, and the upper features new Opticast technology that is designed to reduce drag and enhance on-court efficiency. The Opticast upper is made up of a bunch of tiny cast polyurethane nodes of varying heights, which look like Cs and 2s (representing her initials and jersey number). As with most recent basketball sneakers, Caitlin opted for low tops as they offer an increased range of motion as well as a lighter on-foot feel. There are currently a total of nine Caitlin 1 colorways set to release this year, including a Halloween-themed pair, a Christmas-themed pair, and a Kansas City Chiefs-themed pair. The first pair will be the “Racer Blue” colorway that we’ve seen in all of the promotional photos, followed by a Hot Punch and Neo Pink colorway on October 14th. The Caitlin 1s will release in full family sizing in select colors, but many colorways will be exclusively available in adult sizes. It’s still not clear how long Nike plans to let the Caitlin 1 go for before releasing another model, as the release window for a Nike signature athlete’s first sneaker often varies significantly. Expect new colorways of the Caitlin 1 to release for at least another year.

Sabrina Ionescu

Speaking of WNBA players set to debut new signature sneakers, Sabrina Ionescu’s fourth Nike signature sneaker will be launching in July. The Sabrina 3 is incredibly popular with professional basketball players, having the third most on-court minutes in the 2025-2026 NBA season according to Colendri. It makes sense that her next sneaker would be an iteration on her past models instead of a full redesign because of the popularity of her shoes. This new pair features a TPU FlyPlate in the midsole, an innovation inspired by Nike’s running shoes. Outside of this change, the shoe is mostly the same as her previous efforts - there’s a forefront Air Zoom unit and a full Cushlon midsole, as well as the usual S logo on the tongue and lowercase i logo on the heel. There are over a dozen Sabrina 4 colorways set to drop this year, including pairs for WNBA All-Star Weekend, the Nike Nationals basketball tournament, Halloween, Christmas, and a player exclusive colorway for Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron. The “Limelight” colorway, revealed by Sabrina back in April, is set to release on July 17th for $135. As usual with Sabrina’s signature sneaker line, we should see different Sabrina 4 colorways release for the next full year.

A’ja Wilson

Rounding out Nike’s WNBA signature sneakers is A’ja Wilson, whose new signature sneaker first released back in May. Just like the Sabrina 4 and Caitlin 1, the A’Two features a forefront Air Zoom unit and a Cushlon midsole. The A’Two has seen a couple different colorways launch over the last few weeks, as well as a “Nike by You” version which launched a few days ago. There are around a dozen more colorways set to launch this year, including WNBA All-Star weekend, Nike Nationals, Halloween, and Christmas colorways. A’ja also has plenty of player exclusives on the way, including a colorway for her USC coach Dawn Staley and another colorway for her former USC teammate Allisha Gray. A’ja is also set to collaborate with the womens’ sports-oriented streetwear brand Playa Society, with two colors of the A’Two set to release this holiday season. We should get another full calendar year of the A’Two, with A’ja’s next signature sneaker currently expected to debut before the start of the next WNBA season.

Ja Morant

Like Sabrina Ionescu, Ja Morant is currently set to debut his fourth signature sneaker this July. The Ja 3 was popular off the court due to its striking appearance, and its full length ZoomX midsole led to players like Mikal Bridges wearing them throughout the past NBA season. It’s not immediately clear what kind of technology will be in the Ja 4, but with a retail price of $130 I expect to see the same stuff as the Ja 3. The Ja 4 is currently expected to launch on August 10th in a “NY vs NY” colorway, followed by a “Nightmare on 12th Street” pair on August 13th. For the first time in his partnership with Nike, Ja will actually have multiple performance basketball sneakers release this year. We recently saw our first look of the Ja “Twelve Time,” a $90 takedown version of his signature sneaker. There are eight colorways of the Twelve Time currently set to drop this year, with the first three releasing on September 4th. Ja also has a high-top version of the Ja 4 set to release later this year, with the first “Halloween” colorway set to release on October 31st for $180. It’s rare we see a new high top basketball signature sneaker from Nike, so we’ll have to see how these perform for retailers. Only a few colorways are set to release, with four total Ja 4 Highs releasing through Spring 2027. Similar to Sabrina Ionescu, Ja Morant’s signature shoes are on a yearly release schedule with the next version expected to drop in Fall 2027.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis is the last player on this list whose new signature sneaker will debut before the NBA season, with the first colorway of the Freak 8 set to release on August 1st. These $115 sneakers are Nike’s cheapest athlete-led signature sneaker, featuring a ReactX midsole and a feather-shaped heel counter. We’ve seen Giannis post himself wearing a few different colorways as he trains during the offseason, and we should see a total of twelve different colorways release this year. The Freak 8 will have Halloween and Christmas-themed pairs, as well as a camo pair inspired by Giannis’s three months of military service back in 2016. Giannis’s budget-oriented mindset means that he’s one of three Nike signature athletes with a takedown model, with the Giannis Immortality 5 retailing for only $85. These first released back in May, with more colors set to release throughout this year. Giannis’s sneakers often take a back seat to more exciting options, but in terms of price there are few who can compete with him. Just like Ja Morant and Sabrina Ionescu, Giannis’s sneakers usually debut in Q3 - expect his next sneaker to release this same time next year.

LeBron James

LeBron James has the most active footwear lines of any of the athletes on this list: his regular numbered sneakers, his Witness line, and his NXXT Gen by JuJu line in partnership with JuJu Watkins. His main sneaker line will see its next iteration, the LeBron XXIV, release this October to kick off the NBA season. There’s only a couple of LeBron XXIVs set to release this year, including Halloween, Christmas, and Lakers-colored pairs. The LeBron XXIV will feature the King James crown on the upper as well as on the sole, as well as using “Forever King Flyknit” across the upper. Unlike the LeBron XXIII, these will feature a medium-sized swoosh closer to the heel on both sides of the sneaker. These will only retail for $190, less expensive than many of LeBron’s past mainline sneakers. It’s not fully clear what the full technical details will be, so we’ll have to wait a few months for more information. Along with the XXIV, we will see the Witness X release for the start of the NBA season. The tenth sneaker in LeBron’s budget line will retail for $105, featuring a layered mesh look across most of the sneaker. The lion logo and crown appear on the heel, and the crown makes an appearance on the midsole with a meshlike pattern engraved in the side of the sneaker. Just like the LeBron XXIV, we’ll only see a couple colorways release this year. The final sneaker in the LeBron line is the NXXT Gen by JuJu, which debuted only a month ago and has only seen a couple colors release so far. This pair features dual Air Zoom pods in the forefoot to improve bounce, as well as a full React midsole and a flexible leather upper. These sneakers were delayed significantly from their initial launch date, with many different colorways and SKUs being scrapped as they iterated on the design. We’ll only see five more colorways launch this year (as of now) for a retail price of $170, with more set to release next year.

Devin Booker

After a very long wait, Devin Booker’s second signature sneaker debuted at the beginning of this year. Book loves taking inspiration from past Nike releases, and his Book 2 takes the mesh upper (on some colorways) from the Air Zoom Spiridon and the herringbone traction pattern from the Air Force 1 while also featuring modern adjustments. The pair has a forefoot Air Zoom unit as well as a Cushlon 3.0 midsole, and is designed to be low to the ground. We’re right in the middle of the Book 2 release schedule, with another dozen colorways set to release this year. Devin Booker recently collaborated with McDonalds on a Sedona-inspired colorway of the Book 2, and he will continue his partnership with Chevrolet later this year with some more car-inspired sneakers. While we still have many Book 2s on the way, we’re also quickly approaching the release of the Book 3. These were originally supposed to release in Holiday 2026 but have been pushed to Spring 2027, where we will see them debut during NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. The Blazer Low-inspired Book 3 is even lower to the ground than the Book 2, featuring a ZoomX sockliner and a Zoom Strobel unit in the forefoot. It’s possible that the final sneaker looks different than the one I’ve seen due to the release delay, so stay tuned for any updates regarding tech changes or appearance. I’m very intrigued to see how the final version of the Book 3 looks, as the sample images I’ve seen make this sneaker look incredibly short. The Book 3 will retail for $145, with premium All-Star Weekend versions retailing for as much as $250.

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant’s nineteenth signature sneaker debuted this past week in two different monochrome colorways. The KD 19 features a full-length Zoom Strobel and a Cushlon 3.0 midsole, as well as a TPU dagger across the exterior. The most notable thing about this release is Kevin Durant’s partnership with Drake. We’ve seen KD appear in NOCTA ads back in 2023 (they still might be up in the Crystal City train station!), and now Drake has appeared in two different TV commercials for KD. The two are expected to partner up on a collaborative NOCTA x Nike KD 19 later this year (in potentially up to six different colorways), but the exact colorway or release date for them is not confirmed at the moment. On top of the NOCTA collab, we’ll see another eleven colorways launch this year (as of now). These include all of the usual greatest hits - Halloween and Christmas pairs, an Aunt Pearl pair in October, and a Chet Holmgren PE pair early next year. Unlike all of the previously discussed athletes, Kevin Durant’s signature shoes are not offered in grade school or preschool sizing. You’ll have to pay the full $155 price tag for those smaller sizes of the KD19. Kevin Durant is also the only active signature athlete to have a retro line releasing at the moment with the KD 6. We’ll see KD 6 retro colorways continue to release into next year, with the “Seat Pleasant” pair currently scheduled to return on March 12th, 2027 for $135.

Kobe Bryant

Over the last few years, Nike’s Kobe line has absolutely dominated the court in the NBA and the WNBA. The Kobe 4s, 5s, and 8s continue to be Nike’s go-tos for Protros, with different colors releasing every few months. This week, we’ll see Nike’s latest effort at a blind-box sneaker release with the Kobe 4 Protro “Draft Day.” This pair, which is a mystery box with fourteen different pairs you could obtain, will be the last Kobe 4 release of the year. We’ll see the model return early next year in two different colors, one of which is a retro of the “All-Star” Kobe 4s he wore back in 2009. It’s a similar story for the Kobe 5s, as we’ve only got a couple more colors left to drop this year. Jalen Brunson’s “NY vs NY” pair is currently set to drop August 1st, while the “Dodgers” Kobe 5 is set to release in full family sizing a couple weeks later. After these two, we’ll have to wait until next year for a couple more pairs of Kobe 5s. We don’t have any Kobe 8s on the immediate horizon, but the Mambacurials are currently set to drop on September 19th after a bit of a delay. These will be followed by the “Shanghai Fireworks” Kobe 8s in November, and the “Easter” Kobe 8s next March. On top of the 4s, 5s, and 8s, we’re going to start to see a greater push for the Kobe 10s and the Kobe ADs this year. There are six total Kobe 10s on the horizon, starting with the “Halo” pair on August 23rd. We’ll see the “5AM Flight” and “Blackout” pairs return, as well as a couple pairs to celebrate the Lunar New Year and NBA All-Star Weekend. We’ll also see different colleges get PEs of the Kobe 10s, but those most likely won’t see a public release. The Kobe ADs will operate similarly to the Kobe Air Force 1s or the Kobe Dunks that we’ve seen release in recent years, acting as supplements to the regular Kobe Protro releases. There’s a couple OG Kobe AD colorways that are being brought back by themselves, but for the most part the colors and release dates will match with the more expensive Protro releases. Nike’s big innovation in the Kobe line is the Kobe 3 Low Protro, the first ‘new’ sneaker model that we’ve seen following Kobe’s passing. We’ll see a few more colors of these this year, including a FC Barcelona collaboration, Jalen Brunson’s Arancia PEs, and a Day of the Dead-themed pair in October. As the Kobe 10s, Kobe ADs, and Kobe 3 Lows pick up steam, we’re starting to see the brand wind down the regular Kobe 3, the Kobe 6, and the Kobe 9. Only one color is currently scheduled for release for each of these models over the next nine months: the “Orca” Kobe 3 in September, the “Philippines” Kobe 9 in November, and the “Coals” Kobe 6 in December. I’m very surprised to see the Kobe 6 wind down, as that is by far the most popular basketball sneaker amongst NBA and WNBA players.

Nike “Greater Than” Series

The “Greater Than” series is Nike’s category of signature basketball sneakers that are designed to be forward-thinking and performance-enhancing in specific aspects of the game. The standout sneaker in this series is the G.T. Cut, whose first iteration will continue to see new colorways throughout this year and into next. Spurs rookie Dylan Harper has two more player-exclusive colorways set to release this August in collaboration with Philippines-based basketball sneaker store TITAN. We’ll continue to see PEs of the original G.T. Cut next year as well, with Paige Bueckers and Dylan Harper both set to drop player exclusive colorways in March 2027. While the original G.T. Cut has a couple colorways on the way, the current headliner is the G.T. Cut 4. On top of some GR colors, we’ll see many player-exclusive pairs of the G.T. Cut 4 this year: a “Baja Blast”-themed Paige Bueckers pair, a Halloween-themed Victor Wembanyama pair, a collaboration with Slam Magazine, and even a pair for both Amen and Ausar Thompson. The current supplement to the G.T. Cut is the G.T. Future, which received massive levels of hype before its launch last December in collaboration with Wale. We’ve got eight colors left to launch this year including a collaboration with PJ Tucker, and we’ll also see a couple pairs drop early next year. The big news with the G.T. line is the introduction of three new silhouettes starting next year: the G.T. Flight, the G.T. Force, and the G.T. Uptempo. The Uptempo is intended to be the follow-up to the G.T. Cut 4 - it was originally named the G.T. Cut 5 but was changed recently. The pair will retail for $200, and will have a ZoomX foam midsole like the G.T. Cut 3 and 4. I don’t know much at all about the G.T. Flight and the G.T. Force in terms of appearance or technology, but they will both make their debut in the first week of February. The Flight retails for $180, and the Force retails for $200. There’s also a low-top version of the G.T. Force, which retails for $180 as well. Expect to see Nike athletes like AJ Dybantsa wear these new models soon - I’ll definitely be watching for more info.

Nike “Street Tough” Series

Nike’s overseas-exclusive Street Tough series has been slowly making its way over to the USA thanks to Cade Cunningham and Frank Nitty. The S.T. pairs are designed for the outdoor courts that are prevalent throughout China, and the models in the line (like the S.T. Flare and the S.T. Glow) are usually released exclusively overseas. The S.T. Charge marked a departure from that trend, as Cade Cunningham became the face of the model at this past NBA All-Star Weekend. We’ll see a total of four different S.T. Charges featuring the Cade logo on them drop this year, including a Leatherface-inspired pair for Halloween. We also recently saw professional basketball player Frank Nitty debut one of two player-exclusive colorways on the S.T. Charge, which he created in collaboration with his fashion brand Dead Serene. Both colors are set to drop next year for $150.

Cade Cunningham

While Cade will have PEs on both the G.T. Cut 4 and the S.T. Charge this year, we are still expecting him to receive his own signature sneaker very soon. In an interview with Kevin Durant in November 2025, Cade let the world know that he was working on his own signature sneaker. This pair is expected to debut during the second half of the upcoming NBA season, although there’s no word on an exact release date or price. It’s possible that we see it drop during All-Star Weekend, but I expect a wider release for the sneaker to occur in March or April of 2027 (if it hasn’t been pushed back). We’re due for more info on this very soon, so I’ll keep you updated on any changes.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

As I was writing this article, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nike Basketball announced that he was switching back from Converse to Nike. This is massive news, as Shai was essentially the only bright spot in an otherwise very bleak Converse Basketball lineup. The Shai 001s have been hugely popular, as pairs were consistently sold out all throughout last year. Some pairs, like the Butter and Truffle colorway, currently sell for hundreds of dollars over retail on the secondary market. Converse had multiple versions of the Shai 001 in the works, including pairs without the zipper shroud and premium pairs with different materials. The current expectation that I’ve been seeing in the news is that Nike plans to sell Converse, and they’re claiming its most valuable basketball asset by moving him back over to Nike. This situation creates a couple of questions: when is the first Shai Nike dropping, and what does this mean for other Nike signature athletes? I expect the first Nike Shais to drop during the 2027-2028 season if they don’t plan on simply taking and tweaking the Converse designs, as it takes a while for a shoe to go from the concept stage to actual production. In terms of other athletes, the big impact could be on Victor Wembanyama - now that Nike is taking on SGA’s endorsement contract instead of having it on Converse’s books, it could make it more difficult to resign Wemby as he enters sneaker free agency this holiday season. Nike has dropped a pair of Wemby G.T. Cut 4s from their holiday lineup, suggesting that the talks may not be as straightforward as you might think. We’ll have to wait and see for more info on Shai’s future with Nike, but I’d expect to start to hear more info during the upcoming season.

That’s the full breakdown for Nike Basketball! Here’s a quick overview of the upcoming models by month, so it’s clear what you can expect in the near future:

July 2026: Nike Sabrina 3

August 2026: Nike Giannis Freak 8, Nike Ja 4, Nike Kobe 10 Protro

September 2026: Nike Ja Twelve Time

October 2026: Nike Caitlin 1, Nike Ja 4 High, Nike Kobe A.D. Protro, Nike LeBron Witness X, Nike LeBron XXIV

February 2027: Nike Book 3, Nike G.T. Flight, Nike G.T. Force, Nike G.T. Uptempo

March 2027: Nike G.T. Force Low

Last Saturday, Adidas had an exclusive release in Chicago of the Pharrell Williams Virginia Adistar Jellyfish in white and light brown. I first found out about this launch on Friday, when I saw a couple posts of a white Adidas van with the Virginia logo from some sneaker blogs. Adidas had an instore raffle at their Wicker Park location the next day, allegedly raffling off 300 total pairs to Chicago residents who picked up their pairs on Sunday. This sounds like a perfectly normal release, but to me it highlights all of the problems that are often present with Adidas and their biggest collaborations. These problems fall under two different categories: information and timing.

One of the first things I did when I saw the sneaker blog posts was check Adidas’ social media accounts to get more information. I think most blogs do a good job at relaying accurate details about sneaker launches, but I wanted to see what the brand had to say. The first thing I do is check the adidasoriginals Instagram page, as that’s normally where we see info about upcoming Adidas collaborations. I was surprised to see nothing - no posts, no story posts, nothing to indicate anything was happening. I checked the regular Adidas account and Pharrell’s account as well - nothing there either. Even the Adidas newsroom website was barren, with no information of any kind. As a last resort, I used Google to reverse image search the photos from the sneaker blogs - nothing there either. So where was the information from the brand? I sat back and waited, letting my friends in Chicago know that they should expect some sort of release for a new Jellyfish colorway this weekend. The weekend came and went, and the only updates I saw anywhere were more sneaker blog posts. If you look at any of the Adidas social media pages, you would have never known that Adidas dropped a new colorway of one of their most in-demand sneaker silhouettes. This lack of information is all too common from Adidas, who regularly release their collaborations with little to no fanfare. Popular collaborators like Wales Bonner have compressed 48-hour rollouts, while other collaborators frequently have their sneakers launched randomly in select regions (the Willy Chavarria Predator Elite dropped on Adidas Canada randomly last week, despite not being a part of Chavarria’s initial World Cup collection in the US). For these big collaborations, the brand needs to give the product the marketing push and clear release schedule they deserve.

Another thought I had while searching for information was about the Jellyfish model itself. We’ve seen Pharrell and other celebrities wearing different, unreleased colorways of this shoe for almost a couple years now, and yet we have only seen five total colorways drop in the last 18 months. This white and brown pair is set to be the sixth, with an alleged release date of July 15th. Meanwhile, Pharrell’s other new silhouette, the adidas Vario Flat Earther, will have four colorways drop in just two months. How can a sneaker like the Jellyfish, which has an incredible amount of hype behind it, have so few launches over such a long period of time? It feels like 2025 was the moment for Adidas to capitalize on a brand-new silhouette with incredible demand, and instead we’ve seen 2 colorways release to the public since last Halloween. The timing issues also appear on a micro scale. If the release date of July 15th is true, what is the point of dropping in Chicago a whole month early? For the few public drops we’ve seen, why is Adidas pairing up colorways on one day instead of having each color drop on its own? Timing has consistently been a problem for Adidas - when Wales Bonner and Sporty & Rich were their dominant collaborators, they would drop their collaborations only a couple days apart despite the fact that both collaborations often had similar target demographics. Even someone like , who has been monitoring Adidas releases for over ten years, has noticed the poor job Adidas has been doing with the Jellyfish.

It has been frustrating from a consumer perspective to watch Adidas continue to fumble around with the Jellyfish. They’ve come out with dozens of colorways of the takedown version of the Jellyfish, the Adistar XLG 2.0. Pharrell, James Harden, Chief Keef, and other celebrities have been pictured in a myriad of unreleased Jellyfish colors. And yet, months after the last release, Adidas is radio silent as their newest Jellyfish color releases unceremoniously via a singular instore raffle. We need better information from the brand about their launches, and they need to do a better job timing their launches in a way that maximizes consumer demand while also giving people the ability to buy the sneakers.

Saucony’s $185 Mystery Sneakers

Designer Drew White and his label a-feeling has worked with Saucony to release a mystery sneaker, known currently as “The Science of Wow”. These sold out in their first launch this past weekend, with an in-person and a second online release set for later this month. We only have photos of the box and a pixelated photo of the sneaker, which looks to be something like a Saucony Grid Web or maybe a Saucony Grid Azura 2000. This is not the first mystery sneaker we’ve seen recently - Advisory Board Crystals and Puma released seven different Fantastic Four-themed mystery sneakers last year. Out of all the release concepts we’ve seen recently, this may be my least favorite so far. The idea that you would pay a couple hundred dollars (in this instance, $185) for a sneaker that you have never seen is absolutely crazy to me. Who knows if you like the model? Who knows if the shoe even fits you? Maybe you’re supposed to size up half a size on this model but you went true to size - are you going to cram your feet in the mystery sneaker now that you’ve spent the money? The ABC x Puma collab was plagued with issues, most notably being the shipping delays and that all of the sneakers were incredibly ugly. This Saucony collab will probably not have as many of those problems, but the principle is the same. I’ve seen many people on social media liken this concept to quickstrikes, or randomly finding brand-new sneakers when you go to the store. The ‘mystery sneaker’ drops simply could not be more different because you are paying before you even see the shoe, while in those other scenarios you get to decide whether or not you spend your money after seeing the shoes in the store. If your shoe is good enough, you don’t need some sort of gimmick to sell it - it will sell off of appearance alone. As soon as you take the looks out of the equation, I instantly assume the worst. I hope that the people who already bought the Sauconys get a shoe they like, and I hope that we see less of these mystery sneakers in the future.

(This segment was written on Sunday, June 14th. On June 15th, a-feeling posted a look at the sneakers in anticipation of their Rhode Island pop-up on the 26th. The pair is a Saucony Progrid Paramount. I’m choosing to publish this segment without any changes as I don’t feel that the sneaker being revealed really changes how I feel about the concept of the release.)

Assorted First Looks/News Updates

• We recently got a first look at the Nike Air Force 1 ‘01 in all white, currently set to drop on July 1st for $130. This is the first of over a dozen colorways of the 2001 cut AF1 set to drop this year, including five pairs in collaboration with Steven Victor. We’ll see two general release colors drop in the next couple months: the pictured white pair, and a Light Army pair (a shade of grayish-green). This photo of the white pair has been making the rounds on social media in a way I was not expecting, with large non-sneaker accounts even picking this story up. I expect very high demand and a quick initial sellout for this new model. The white pair and upcoming black pair will restock across seasons, so if you can’t get them initially they will be returning in the future. As a huge fan of the Air Force 1, I’m glad to see the sneaker come back in a way that can get people excited about both collaborations and GR colorways.

• Nike held another pop-up in New York City for the upcoming X2 collection, featuring all of the different collaborative Cryoshot sneakers. We got our first look at the Jordan Cryoshots at this pop-up, featuring an all-over red suede upper and a photo of Michael Jordan from the 1996 “Frozen Moment” commercial. These are currently scheduled for both a Summer and Fall 2026 release, meaning we should see a drop outside of this pop-up in the near future. I’m a big fan of the Cryoshot sneakers - I feel that Nike’s cleat designs are more iconic than the Adidas F50, and so Nike’s lifestyle versions simply look better than any of the F50 Adiframes I’ve seen. I’m expecting to publish this post on the 16th, which is the release date for the X2 collection and the Cryoshots - I’m interested to see how they do on the secondary market following the SNKRS release. After the X2 collaboration, we should see some general release versions of the Cryoshot drop over the next 6-9 months. If you’re looking to try a pair, you may be better off waiting for the GRs if you strike out at retail this week. I’m curious to hear what you all think about these Cryoshots - I’m personally a big fan and I’m hoping to get the Jacquemus or the Patta collaborations this week.

• Sneaker Files and zsneakerheadz recently posted the first piece of info about next year’s Jordan Brand collaborations, informing us that Italian sneaker boutique Slam Jam is set to release two different colors of the Air Jordan 8. This is Slam Jam’s first collaboration with Jordan, although they have worked together with Nike on a number of different collaborations in the past. The Jordan collab info is coming a bit late this year - it’s hard to tell if the company is doing a better job of preventing leaks, or if SKUs and colorways for other collabs have not been finalized yet. I’ve seen some rumors of an Awake NY Air Jordan 4, but I’m unable to confirm those at the moment - we’ll just have to wait and see if we get any new information.

• Nike Atelier unveiled their first sneaker in partnership with Désiré Doué: the Nike Atelier Merc Premium, retailing for $450 and dropping early July. Nike’s chief design officer Martin Lotti kicked off the Nike Atelier platform with Jannik Sinner for the Milan Winter Olympics. Nike describes Atelier as “a platform for creating custom designs for select signature athletes at key off-field moments. Atelier applies the same athlete-driven mindset and attention to craft that define Nike innovation, extending it into moments where identity, environment and culture play an equally important role.” These Atelier collections are designed to be one-of-one and tailored to the athlete, which is why I’m surprised to see a public release for the new sneakers they made for him. We should be seeing more Atelier collections in the future, including one with a white Total 90 that also retails for $450.

  

• Caitlin Clark has begun her rollout for her new signature sneaker, the Nike Caitlin 1. She recently changed her Instagram username to caitlin1 and changed her profile picture to a closeup of some portion of the sneaker. The first colorway, coming in Yellow Zest and Racer Blue, is expected to launch on October 1st for a retail price of $150. We should see a total of nine different colorways drop this year, including Halloween and Christmas-themed versions. Expect a full look at the sneakers very soon.

Thank you all for reading Volume 3 of my Sneaker News Roundup! I’m working on a big post for the end of the month featuring information about over a dozen different Nike collaborations, so stay tuned for that. If you guys ever see something that you’d like me to talk about on these roundups, feel free to tag me on Twitter or Instagram.

Numbered Sneakers: How Real are the Numbers?

Last night, I got a Twitter message from sneaker collector and Union LA employee (lol) Bryan Rivera asking about the new pair of Bin23 Air Jordan 3s. Jordan Brand brought back the ultra-limited Bin23 line this year, with each sneaker being limited to only 2,300 pairs. Each pair comes with a tag on the inside of the shoe displaying which number out of 2,300 the pair had been assigned. Bryan just purchased and received a pair of these new Bin 3s from StockX, but upon opening the box noticed that the pair he received was not assigned a number. Obviously, this raised a question: were the sneakers real? StockX verification is not infallible, especially for sneakers that are unreleased. Yet these had the same build quality, box, style codes, barcodes, tags and dust bags as the retail pairs - these were certainly not replicas. Even other pairs, like this size 14 on eBay, have the same problem - the photos of the underside of the tongue clearly show that there is no tag with the pair’s number.

This raises a second question: why would a brand claim they made a certain number of pairs of a sneaker, but covertly make more than the stated amount? Brands release numbered sneakers all the time, using their limited nature to generate hype and decrease sell-through time. Sneaker Room and Adidas just released their Puerto Rico-themed Adistar Control 5 limited to 1,726 pairs, and they sold out incredibly quickly and are fetching high prices on the secondary market. If the brand makes extra, non-numbered sneakers, it completely changes the equation for both the consumer and the retailer. If a consumer buys a numbered pair and gets a non-numbered version, they feel misled - not only is the item not as rare as they were expecting, but they have some unofficial version of the sneaker they were trying to get. A collector like Bryan wants to own the Bin 3s with the number - in his words, “Bin23 pairs without numbers are like cargo pants with no pockets.” A retailer’s perspective is slightly different. If a retailer was counting on a quick sell-through for the numbered pairs they’re selling, but non-numbered pairs reduce the value of the sneaker on the aftermarket, the consumer demand may go down and their sell-through time may increase. These non-numbered pairs of numbered sneakers are bad for consumers and retailers, and brands need to ensure that all of the pairs being sold to the public are numbered. There should not be non-numbered pairs floating around for people to buy on resale apps without clear indication that the pair that is being purchased is not numbered. StockX and GOAT have actually offered separate numbered and non-numbered listings for past Nike releases, like the Kobe Bryant Air Force 1 “Lakers” from 2024. I’m hoping Jordan Brand can do a better job of ensuring all pairs are numbered for the upcoming Bin23 Jordan 8 and Jordan 4, and I’m hoping that Bryan eventually gets his numbered AJ3s.

What’s next for Nike SB?

Last Wednesday, Nike revealed the upcoming “SB FC Pack,” featuring a SB Air Max 95, a Tennis Classic, and some assorted apparel items. We haven’t seen a whole lot from Nike SB over the last year as Nike eases off of Dunk production across all divisions, with only a few remixed lifestyle sneakers and Dunk collaborations breaking out of the regular skater sphere. It feels like the division is in a weird place - the SB Dunk has certainly fallen from the peaks it saw in 2020 and 2021, but select ideas like the SB Air Force 1 continue to sell out and have some demand on the resale market. These past few months are only the beginning of Nike’s shift away from the SB Dunk. This winter’s SB collaborations will exclusively be on the SB Air Force 1, and we’ll start seeing only 2-3 SB Dunk SKUs per quarter starting this fall.

The big question for Nike SB is what comes next after the Dunk? Their jumps into lifestyle sneakers with Jordan Brand and now Nike Sportswear yielded some high demand, but as we’ve seen with the SB Air Max 95, the demand is starting to wane. Resale prices on StockX for all previous SB Air Max 95 releases are below retail in nearly all sizes, with some sizes having prices less than 50% of the MSRP. Indeed, Nike will look to wind down the SB 95s this winter, with the final release being a collaboration with Nike SB team rider Kyle Wilson. The Air Force 1 is looking better than the 95s at the moment, likely due to the cheaper retail price and the recent demand for the AF1 in general. However, we’ve only seen one colorway release so far, and there are over 10 SB Air Force 1s scheduled to release in the next 9 months - more than half of them being collaborations! Will the demand be the same for the model after Yuto Horigome’s second SB Air Force 1 drops in spring of 2027? In my opinion, the sequel to the Dunk simply has to be more Dunk. We saw incredible demand for the Bluetile SB Dunk Low collaboration back in May, and I believe that if Nike curates their collaborator selection carefully we can continue to see solid sell through for the model. There’s no need to have a Dunk every month like we’ve seen in prior years, but picking a couple good, popular collaborators and producing a solid amount of pairs will certainly result in better revenue with a reasonably fast sell-through for skate shops. No amount of Frankenstein-ing skateboarding technology into Nike lifestyle shoes will get you the demand of the Dunk, and so the focus during this down cycle should be on quality output on the model. I’m curious to get your thoughts - what should Nike SB’s next focus be?

Assorted First Looks/News Updates

• It seems like retailers are getting a preview of Nike’s Spring 2027 items as they place their Futures orders, and we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at some upcoming footwear from New York-based retailer Two Minds. In this photo, we see the all-new Nike Flyknit Runner, a brand-new lifestyle model dropping in men’s and women’s sizing this spring for $95. We also see the Nike Air Force 1 ‘01 “Houston” right behind it, as well as the Nike Air Bakin PE SP “Tweed” out of focus in the background - both of which will drop in Spring 2027. There’s also a few general release Air Max 90 and 95 colorways for Air Max Day, as well as some black platform sneaker that I can’t really make out, but we’ll most likely get better looks at those in the coming months.

• Lil Yachty was spotted in New York City wearing a new version of the Concrete Boys x Nike Us Force 1 Mid. These have an all-over felt upper, similar to the Costco SB Dunks or some of the Space Hippie sneakers. We also saw siptris on Instagram show off an orange and black patent Us Force 1 Mid. To my knowledge, both of these colors are a friends and family exclusive - we will see multiple Us Force 1 colorways drop this holiday season, but I don’t expect either of these to be one of them. Nike is definitely attempting to scale up demand for the AF1 Mid with multiple collaborations set to drop this year, so we’ll have to wait and see if they are successful with this marketing push.

• Devin Booker wore a new “Tiger Camo” colorway of the Book 2 at Nike’s “Just Do It Day” celebration in Portland. These should be dropping at the end of July for $145. We also saw Book show off a “Foamposite” version of his Book 2, which should see releases in multiple different colors over the next few months. We’ve already seen over ten different colorways of the Book 2, with about a dozen more currently set to drop this year. This chapter of Devin Booker’s signature line with Nike will be short-lived, however, as the Book 3 is currently set to launch in Spring 2027

• Last week, I posted information about Nike’s new soccer-inspired model, the Nike Air Max Joga Bonito. The new sneaker features the upper from the Mercurial Vapor R9, attaching it to an Air Max 95 sole. The first colorway, pictured in the mockup above, is currently set to drop July 2nd for $180. Other Air Max 95-inspired colorways are set to drop this fall, with a Vini Jr. PE scheduled for the end of the year. It’ll be interesting to see the reaction to a higher-priced soccer-inspired sneaker, as most of Nike’s lifestyle/soccer sneakers (like the Gato and the Total 90) are in the low $100s.

That’s all for this edition of my sneaker roundup - feel free to leave a comment with any questions, thoughts, or opinions.

TROPHY ROOM’s Store Closure

TROPHY ROOM, the Orlando-based retailer owned by controversial figure Marcus Jordan, announced that it will be winding down its brick-and-mortar operations after ten years of operation. Marcus has been embroiled in scandals throughout his time at Trophy Room and has been lambasted on social media for years over the backdooring of the Trophy Room x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Freeze Out” collaboration back in 2021 (Yes, that shoe is five years old now!). At first glance, this isn’t too surprising - sneaker retailers around the globe have been shutting their doors for the last couple years because of changing market conditions and consumer shopping patterns (and a variety of other reasons I won’t get into here). Just last week, French retailer THE NEXT DOOR announced their closure after twenty years of operation. However, Marcus’s post suggests that this closure seems to stem from something other than business failure. He’s retaining the Trophy Room trademarks for himself, and the store will continue to operate online under a different name. He’s also hinting at some sort of comeback down the line with his Instagram caption - maybe he’s got something else in the pipeline? To me, the fact that the business will continue to operate (even in a different, more restricted format) implies that Marcus is taking a step back for reasons outside of the success of the business. Last February, he was arrested for a DUI crash and possession, with his mugshot and body cam footage going viral on social media. It’s entirely possible that after finally fulfilling the requirements of his plea deal, he wants to take some time for himself. We’ll just have to wait and see what Marcus has planned for the future.

To me, the most interesting part about this post is the collage of different photos and videos showing the sampling process of the Trophy Room x Air Jordan 6 Retro. These were originally supposed to drop in late June and early July of 2025, but were delayed and now seem to be cancelled. The pairs were inspired by an autographed pair of 1991 “Infrared” Jordan 6s that Michael Jordan signed for his sons. The exact same signatures and placements feature on these two colorways of Jordan 6s, which both change color in the sun to show the teams which the 1991 Bulls beat on their route to the championship. This post provides a very interesting look at the sampling process - you can see how they worked on the color-changing upper first, before iterating on different versions of the signatures as well as the box details. I saw some samples of this shoe back in the fall of 2024 with different shades of red on the midsole and “Conference Champions 1991” written on the heel instead of “World Champions 1991,” so it was interesting to see which version they finally settled on for the release. I’m hopeful that Marcus maintaining control of the trademarks means that these shoes will see a release in the future, but for now we’ll just have to cross our fingers.

Steph Curry and Li-Ning

After months of sneaker free agency, Shams Charania announced that Steph Curry has signed a 10-year endorsement deal with Chinese sneaker brand Li-Ning. According to Shams, the deal is worth over $400 million and will also include the opening of Li-Ning retail stores in the United States and Canada. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise - Asian brands have been aggressively targeting NBA players for endorsements over the last couple years, and the biggest players in the American footwear space may not have the ability to give Curry the multi-hundred-million dollar deal he was looking for. The most interesting part about this deal to me is the fact that the United States government has banned the import of Li-Ning merchandise since 2022, citing concerns over forced labor. I fully expect the government to undo this ban with a little bit of lobbying (as we see so often nowadays), but it’s crazy that Steph would sign a deal with a sneaker company that can’t even legally send sneakers from their headquarters to his house? I’m hopeful that Li-Ning steps up and makes some sneakers that are both great on the court and off the court, as I feel we haven’t seen a basketball sneaker outside of Nike and adidas make significant cultural impact since the Kai 1 first released a couple years ago.

The Ja Twelve Time

Watch out, adidas! For the first time since the introduction of the Giannis Immortality in 2021, Nike is debuting a new takedown basketball line with a signature athlete - the Nike Ja Twelve Time. These will be retailing for $90 and are set to debut on September 4th in three different colorways, with eight total colorways expected to release this year. It’s very interesting to see a player like Ja Morant, who has been on and off the court for the past few years due to injuries and suspensions, continue to maintain a highly coveted signature sneaker line. This year, he’ll be debuting three different sneaker models - the Ja 4 in July, the Ja Twelve Time in September, and the Ja 4 High in October. The only Nike signature athlete debuting the same number of sneaker models this year is LeBron James (with the NXXT Gen by JuJu, the LeBron XXIV, and the LeBron Witness X). Nike seems to use Ja Morant’s line as a direct competitor to adidas’s Anthony Edwards line - both the AE 2 and Ja 3 are at identical price points, and Anthony Edwards just debuted his own takedown line last month. It’s exciting to see a serious attempt at making a good-looking takedown sneaker from both adidas and Nike, and we’ll see how they fare on the court when they drop this September.

Preordering Collaboration Sneakers?

As I was writing this post, Ronnie Fieg shared a video on his social media accounts stating that he worked with Nike to release preorders for his Air Max 95 “Knicks” in adult sizing. These were originally released as a kids exclusive back in December 2025, with only 36 men’s pairs made for friends and family. Surprisingly, this is the second preorder this week for a collaboration sneaker from Nike, with Melitta Baumeister just closing her preorders for her sold out Pegasus Premium and Vomero Premium. Both of these preorders are things I never would have thought possible a few years ago. While we’ve seen preorders for collaborations from other brands (Aimé Leon Dore and New Balance are the most prominent example), I don’t think I’ve ever seen a major brand go back and offer preorders for a second wave of production on a collaborative sneaker that has long sold out. I expect that we see more of these preorders, as both the large and small brands look to capture more revenue for products they already know have a high level of demand. Personally, I’m not a fan of this move - I’m perfectly happy with more people being able to get a hyped collaboration sneaker, but a reliance on past ideas makes it harder for us to push to new places. If I’m Melitta Baumesiter, why wouldn’t I apply my design motifs on a different model (maybe the Mayfly? or something from the First Sight line?) and move on from my past work? If I’m Ronnie Fieg, why wouldn’t I make a brand new sneaker (or even a new colorway of the same sneaker) for the Knicks and sell pre-orders for that? I just know the designers at these large brands and these collaborators are constantly coming up with new ideas, and so it’s somewhat frustrating to see them fall back on these past ideas when they probably have something really cool waiting in the wings. At the same time, I am glad I was able to finally get my pair of the MB Vomero Premiums, and I’m sure all of the Knicks fans are happy they get to enter a raffle for the chance of preordering a pair of the 95s. If you’ve made it this far, I’m curious to hear your thoughts on preorders for sold out collaborative sneakers and which brands may be able to get away with it.

Assorted First Looks/News Updates

• London-based fashion brand Mowalola and Jordan Brand dropped the first teaser for their upcoming collaboration, featuring a plaid tracksuit and the Air Jordan 14 Mule. These will be releasing on September 18th alongside a regular Air Jordan 14, as well as some other women’s apparel items.

• Supreme and Martine Rose will be collaborating with Nike on a Dunk Low for Supreme’s FW26 season. The Dunk, notably not an SB, will retail for $150 and its colorblocking or final appearance is unknown as of now. The three brands were initially supposed to release a Dunk High, but that is seemingly scrapped and they are moving forward with a single shoe. This will be Supreme and Nike’s first triple collaboration sneaker since the Comme des Garçons Air Force 1 from FW18.

• Nike is gearing up for the World Cup with the launch of their X2 capsule collections featuring pre-match apparel and footwear. This is a massive collaboration featuring seven collaborators and seven football federations, and is set to drop on June 16th (with a couple early launches as well).

• James Whitner’s APB dropped a massive teaser for their upcoming collaborations with Jordan Brand and Nike, showing off a variety of different sneaker models. The APB Nike V5 RNR, APB Nike ReactX Rejuven8, and the blue colorway of the APB Air Jordan 11 Retro Low should all be dropping to the public, while the white AJ11 and the two colorways of the APB Nike Dunk should be a friends and family exclusive. You can enter for the chance to enter the FNF raffle (yes, the hoops you have to jump through are ridiculous!) via the APB Instagram.

• Vans teased a collaboration with Lil Uzi Vert, showing off two colorways of the Vans Lynzie as well as a Vans Slip-On. The Instagram caption says these should drop in 2027, and we’ll wait and see if the two have any more sneakers on the way. The model reminds me a lot of a DC skate shoe or an Osiris D3, which certainly matches with Uzi’s aesthetic.

• Sneaker photographer Riccardo Mestre gave us our first look at the Paris Saint-Germain x Nike KD 6, set to drop in Q3 for $135. There are two different pairs in this photo - a silver pair which most retailers will be getting, and a white pair which I thought was cancelled but Mestre says will release. I expect that they’ll connect this soccer x basketball combination with the upcoming FC Barcelona x Nike Kobe 3 Low Protro, which is set to drop on July 31st.

That’s all for this edition of my sneaker roundup (summary? updates? I don’t really know what I want to call this yet!) - if you have any questions, thoughts, or comments, feel free to tag me on Twitter since I’m most active there. Thank you for reading!