What's going on shoeheads? I'm back and all settled in, so let's get back to the shoes!! May I present to you the Air Jordan Retro V "Grapes"! Now I know I covered the V's back in the Laneys post in August, but this colorway is too sweet to deny. My favorite color is purple, and when I saw these were coming back I definitely had to cop a pair. As always, I love a fat tongue on a shoe, and the turquoise lightning bolt will make any normal person break their neck when they see you walk by. They're sweet, simple, and definitely sparkle like a jewel in my collection.
They're so white they're gleaming.
Love the turquoise lightning bolt action.
Backside profile showing off all the accents.
Love the deep purple.
Ice so perfect it looks like actual water is glued to the bottom of these shoes.
Classic jumpman symbol stitched to the back of these classics.
Pop culture of the 90's
The Grapes colorway was released back in 1990, but unfortunately was never worn by Michael on the court due to the obvious colorway infraction. It did however, catch on as part of the pop culture movement of the 90's, most notably worn by Will Smith on the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Funky as ever, Will rocked these on the show; I wonder how much they had to pay Nike to do this, or was it free advertising? Either way pretty cool to see "I Am Legend" in this fresh pair of kicks.
Don Cheadle and Will Smith on the set of Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
Look at the colors...my goodness.
Will being Will haha.
Michael did wear the Grapes, but only for ads and endorsements.
Gotta eat those Wheaties!
Just to bring you back to the 90's for a little longer, I especially love this colorway because it reminds me of the Charlotte Hornets. Who could forget the likes of Muggsy Bogues, Larry "Grandmama" Johnson, and baby face Alonzo Mourning. Later that decade, they would also get Jamal Mashburn and Bay Area's favorite Baron Davis 3rd overall in the draft from UCLA. Check out the pics below to bring ya back.
Ridiculous Starter jacket from the 90's.
Original Charlotte Hornets logo.
Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues, and Alonzo Mourning looking at my Grapes haha.
Mourning and Johnson looking lost.
Bogues warming up.
Bogues playing that D on Michael.
Baron Davis doing work.
So much raw talent.
Jamal Mashburn squaring up.
Small fact. Kobe Bryant was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, who was to be traded to the LA Lakers for Vlade Divac. The Hornets never intended to keep Bryant, but think what could've been if they did.
The future of the 2014 Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson, and Lance "whisper in my ear" Stephenson.
Hi Everyone. No post this week as I currently moved out of my apartment and need to sort through all of my stuff. Definitely check back next Sunday for a new post! Sorry and keep following shoeheads.
What's good shoeheads? I know you're all still floating in outer space after my last post on the Space Jams, but I gotta reel you back in on a shoe that's NOT a Jordan brand. Presenting to you, the Nike Hyperdunks first release! As you all know, I love to ball, but I gotta have the right shoe that fits my game and is extremely comfortable. Eerily similar to the Huarache series, the Hyperdunks debuted in 2008 with a very similar style. I loved the high-top design and overall look of the shoe. This was also the introduction of the flywire technology that made the shoe light, flexible, but able to keep its shape under pressure. They fit like a glove and meld to my feet to give me ultimate response time and fantastic grip. Been playing in these for years, and have even bought the 2013 Hyperdunks, which will debut in a later post. Lucky for you guys, this will be a double post! The black ones I kept for style (which one of two first colorway releases), and the blues are the ones I actually balled in (team color release). Please enjoy!
Suede toe.
Look at all that flywire.
Can never have enough flywire.
The midnight blues is what I call them.
High-top system is my favorite.
Tremendous grip.
Flawless.
New shoe, new legacy, new hope
Even though the Hyperdunks only debuted in 2008, they hold a tremendous spot in Nike lore. Debuting in 2008, this was the first time the world saw the flywire technology, which allows the shoe to be lightweight, but keep its shape under duress. The lunarlite cushioning also made its debut in this shoe, which allows the shoe to be lighter and more responsive. But with every great shoe, there has to be a great player that stands behind it. In the summer of 2008, the U.S. wanted to prove that Olympic gold was the only metal that belonged around the necks of the best. Deemed the "Redeem Team", Kobe Bryant was undeniably the heart and soul of that team. Tearing up the world in the Hyperdunks, Kobe saved his best performance for last during the Gold Medal game against Spain, where he took over in the 4th and forever cemented the Hyperdunks in shoe history. Please see below.
Team USA middle school basketball roster picture.
Photoshoot in front of the statue of liberty.
Don't sweat the technique.
Doing work.
Kobe silencing the world before potentially converting a 4-point play during the Gold Medal game against Spain.
Showing the kids (Lebron, DWade, Melo) how it's done.
Basketball at it's finest.
Maybe it's the shoes?
In case you think you've seen these shoes before, it might've been during Kobe's commercial where he supposedly jumped over an Aston Martin. Again it's fake, but it definitely pushed up the hype and made people think Kobe was superhuman. Please see the video below.
