Opening weekend for the WNBA was nothing short of amazing! Game winners, hard-fought games, amazing fits and sneakers filled the weekend to help kick off the 25th anniversary of the W off right. Also, this weekend, multiple NBA and WNBA greats were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Tamika Catchings, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and the late Kobe Bryant were all honored in a ceremony this past weekend and this ceremony was surely a momentous occasion.
With the announcement of Kobe’s Hall of Fame induction, Nike and Undefeated announced the release of the Kobe 5 “Hall of Fame”. Kobe and Undefeated have been working together to create many amazing collaborations over the years, and with the news of Nike’s contract ending with Kobe’s estate, this is rumored to be one of the final releases of this signature line. First reported in October of last year, the Undefeated x Kobe 5 “HOF” comes in a clean gold upper with purple in the inner lining. The iconic Mamba branding is on the tongue with mismatched red to purple gradient Swooshes. “24 10 8” also appears on the tongue representing Kobe’s numbers for the Los Angeles Lakers and the USA Olympic team. Kobe’s accolades are printed on the insoles, completing a must-have for any Kobe fan.
Jordan Brand came in strong this week with a few releases that were must-haves. The Jordan 1 KO “Chicago” is the cousin to the fan-favorite Jordan 1 OG, and with this KO being dressed in the OG Chicago colorway, these were not expected to sit long. The most noticeable difference between the OG and the KO is the difference in the heel paneling, midsoles, and the special “AJKO” Wings logo. Jordan Brand also celebrated the Wings program this past weekend, with the release of the Air Jordan 5 Low “Wings”. A second Jordan 1 hit the shelves this weekend, the Shadow 2.0. This Jordan 1 comes in a clean grey and black leather upper like the OG “Shadow” with a new color blocking scheme that resembles the OG Chicago 1s.
Other notable releases this week were the Slam Jam x New Balance 991, Pharrell x Adidas NMD Hu “Aqua”, and Reebok Question Low “Green Toe”. With the announcement of the HOF class of 2021 hitting media after yesterday’s celebration, we wonder when we will hear WNBA great and Louisiana native Seimone Augustus’ name called, after she announced her retirement this past week. As always, continue the good hunt and remember to always rise, grind and buy sneakers.
