The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 408 — Beating the leakers
Nike basketball seems to have a new strategy for unveiling its shoes
Good morning, family! Welcome back to the Kicks You Wear! Thanks so much for rocking with me this morning. I appreciate you.
Hope you enjoyed the Staple interview! That was fun. Interested in seeing where he takes things with Brooks. I popped out to the store in NYC for Jeff Staple’s Collab Lab session with Bimma. He said there’s “more to come” with the partnership. Fingers crossed for a Cascadia 1 return!
In my cart 🛒 : Nothing this week! My wife said I should chill for a second so I’ma chill. Regrettably.
On my radar 👀 : A’ja Wilson’s A’One sneaker is starting to trickle out. More on that in a bit, though!
Alright, folks. Let’s jump in.
Taking it into their own hands
Nike’s athletes are taking things into their own hands lately when it comes to their signature shoes.
The latest: Giannis Antetokounmpo leaked the images of his upcoming Freak 7 signature shoe.
A look: What a leak it was. These are solid.
This colorway is titled “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. " It looks great. Finally, it's something that doesn’t look like a variation of a Kobe. This feels original — like something Giannis had some input on.
The reverse swoosh is back. That was a mainstay on some of the early Freak models from Nike.
It also has a very interesting midsole and outsole. I can’t wait to learn more about the design.
I digress. The way the shoe looks is irrelevant. What’s interesting is how we obtained this image.
What happened: He snuck images of the shoe into the back half of a carousel on Instagram after the Bucks beat the Lakers last week.
This was largely unexpected. The Freak line typically doesn’t release until Nike’s first quarter, around August or September. This is a much earlier look than usual.
It also seems offhand. For Giannis to sneak it in here on a seemingly mundane IG story after a game is peculiar.
So there we have it. Antetokounmpo intentionally gave his fans a first look at his sneakers, albeit in an unofficial format. The question is, why?
I think we can look to one of his peers for an answer.
Between the lines: Antetokounmpo isn’t the first player to do something like this this year. Ja Morant pulled a similar stunt with the Kool-Aid colorway of the Ja 2 in January after the colorway leaked online.
Morant posted the shoes on Instagram saying, “Gon start leaking my own shoes.”
That’s why he did it. He wanted to beat the leaks. And, though no Freak 7 colorways have technically leaked yet, Antetokounmpo likely did the same for similar reasons. Morant’s leak was reactive. This one is proactive. He beat the leakers to the punch, which is honestly a pretty sound strategy from Antetokounmpo and Nike.
Be smart: While this certainly feels like an off-the-cuff move from Antetokounmpo, it’s a bit hard for me to believe that this wasn’t done with Nike’s approval. Maybe even Nike’s encouragement.
Nike has dabbled in giving fans early looks before. Over the last year, the brand has used the SNKRS app to preview upcoming silhouettes months in advance.
It’s one thing to do that with an upcoming hyped Jordan release. It’s another to do that with a signature athlete. Especially considering how horrible leaks for signature sneakers have been over the last few years (looking at you, Zion Williamson).
That’s what makes this such a brilliant play.
This is a way to get cleaner product images circulating on the internet to keep people engaged with the release.
Having the athlete post the pictures themselves is also a way to make the leak feel more authentic than simply posting more corporate official images instead. It builds anticipation through core fans.
It also isn’t one of those LeBron James sort of leaks where he’s just practicing in the gym wearing the shoes and we get a glimpse that way. This is cleaner and more intentional.
The bottom line: This is only going to happen more and more. Keep your eyes peeled on your favorite athlete’s IG. You never know what’s coming.
Way-too-early SOTY conversations
You probably already know where I’m going with this. The Nigel Sylvester “Brick by Brick” Air Jordan 4 was released on Friday, heading into the weekend. And, man, it’s an incredible shoe.
I didn’t cop a pair. But I got to see an early pair in person last weekend. And let me tell you — I’m super jealous of the folks who did grab some.
This is a monochromatic model, which usually isn’t all that neat. But the material switches and details on the pair pop so much.
Yes, but…I’ve seen a lot of conversation online about this sneaker being the “Sneaker of the Year” already. Here’s Seth Fowler asking the question on his YouTube channel.
Can we, uh, maybe we should hold our horses a little bit?
Let’s relax: I’m not saying this sneaker can’t be anyone’s SOTY. I’m certainly not saying it won’t be in the conversation. Considering the storytelling and marketing Nigel put behind this one, it most certainly will.
But I think we’re all jumping the gun a little bit on the overall conversation.
Yes, this sneaker is incredible. But it’s only March, folks. Making any determinations about the SOTY conversation at this point is beyond premature.
How will we feel about this shoe a month from now? Or six months from now? Let’s wait until then.
Remember what happened with the Nina Chanel Abney AJ3s? It was one of the best sneakers of the year after dropping in the summer of 2024, but everyone seemed to forget about it by December.
Don’t get me wrong: There’s certainly a case to make for it. Seth Fowler makes a pretty good one here.
It’s a very creative take on the Air Jordan 4 and one undoubtedly worthy of a larger conversation about what Nike can do with some of its athletes. That’s a much more interesting conversation than “OMG IS THIS SOTY ALREADY?”
Let’s save that one for when we’ve got a little more dip on the chip, folks. Holla at me in June or July. Then maybe we can talk.
A’ja Wilson goes on tour
We’re finally about to see A’ja Wilson’s A’One signature sneaker out in the streets, folks. It’s about that time.
Things in motion: Wilson is about to go on tour with her sneaker. Before the A’One’s wider release date to the public in May, Wilson will spend March and April making some “Pre-Heat” pop-up stops to promote the sneaker’s release.
The three stops included are:
Columbia, South Carolina, was on March 16. This is Wilson’s hometown and where she played her college ball.
Las Vegas, Nevada, next week on March 22. This is where Wilson’s Aces play.
Tampa Bay, Florida, on April 3. This is where the Women’s College Basketball Final Four will be held.
The scenes from South Carolina were incredible. Foot Locker had a line wrapped around the building. Nike reportedly had to send more pairs to meet demand.
Wilson also popped out and touched the people.
Between the lines: This is a fascinating marketing strategy from Nike and a different take on what pre-heat runs look like.
In the past, pre-heat meant an early and limited colorway hit the market before the main release.
Here, it’s an early release of the sneaker and an in-person experience for the fans, including the athlete.
The big picture: Nike’s pre-heat drops had lost a lot of steam as Nike basketball’s releases grew stale. This may be a way to get the energy up for it again.
Very excited to see how this works and if it can be replicated down the line.
The coolest thing ever
James Harden pulled up to the Clippers’ game in a Maserati that matched the Harden Vol. 9.
DO I NEED TO SAY MORE?!?
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This is unspeakably fly stuff from Harden. This was a fantastic way for Adidas to promote its new Metamorphasis colorway. This feels like the stuff that Nike Basketball used to pull back in the day.
Even if the brand can’t get the Ant 2 right this year, the Harden Vol. 9 seems poised to carry the weight.
What’s droppin’, bruh?
Nike Air Jordan 4 SB “Summit White/Navy” — Tuesday, March 18
Union LA x Jordan 1 “Chicago x Shadow” SNKRS drop — Tuesday, March 18
Nike Air Force 1 “Linen” — Thursday, March 20
New Balance Made in UK Allerdale “Dark Brown” — Thursday, March 20
Nike Air Max 1 Low Poly “Donkey Kong” — Friday, March 21
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for rocking with me. Appreciate you. Have a fantastic week.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns hit me up via email at mikedsykes@gmail.com or shoot me a message via Substack.
Peace and love. Be safe, be easy, be kind. We out.
-Sykes 💯