Classics: Air Jordan V "Grapes"

Rounding out the series of classic Air Jordan Vs is the V "Grapes."  The grapes are, along with the Laneys, are the most sought after of all the Jordan 5 series (minus originals, of course).  These shoes featured a rather simple colorway of a dominant white midsole like most of the V series, but was accented by a more catchy emerald green and grape purple, an eye-catching colorway to see in person.  Other than their original release and failure in 1990, they were re-released in 2006 and since the moment they sold out the hardcore Air Jordan fans that were shut out have begged for them to be re-stocked.  Rumors pop up from time to time that they will be retroed again, but it still has yet to be seen.  Check them out below and see just how sweet they are:

Classics: Air Jordan V "Laney"

The Air Jordan Retro V "Laney" is named after Michael Jordan's High School and this colorway pays homage to his years playing basketball in North Carolina.  This colorway has been released only one time (2000) in the history of the Air Jordan line and makes it one of the most collectible shoes for a die-hard Michael Jordan fan.  The varsity royal and varsity maize may not be the the most tame color scheme, but with context these shoes are among the most valuable in the whole Jordan line:

Nike Air Lebron IX Swingman

One of the more unique of the colorways released for the Lebron 9, the Swingman pays homage to a sneaker legend in his own right: Ken Griffey Jr.  These Lebrons feature a colorway that is reminiscent of the Seattle Mariners colors during Griffey's heyday both in baseball and in the sneaker world.  These shoes feature the Lebron "Dunkman" logo, previously only seen on Lebron Dunkman models, combined with an exaggerated semi-circle that is reminiscent of Ken Griffey Jr's old "Swingman" logo featured on his shoes.  These sold out quick and are now extremely hard to find and prove to be one of the more unique designs in the Lebron series:

Classics: Air Jordan V Sport Blue/Stealth

Regarded as one of the more bland colorways on the Air Jordan V, I see this shoe more as a blue counterpart for the fire reds.  Released in 2006 shortly before the fire reds were released, these didn't sell as well as Air Jordan had anticipated.  Still, being a classic shoe that has only been released once, these shoes retain value for collectors and purveyors of rare sneakers alike.  Check the image below to decide for yourself, do you think they will ever be released again?:

Classics: Air Jordan V Fire Red II

Having been one of the most in demand shoes in the entire Air Jordan line since its release, the Air Jordan V fire red was released again in 2006 in its original colorway nearly twenty years earlier.  In the last post I showed how the "Nike Air" and check remained, while the outsole was black; these feature a "Jumpman" logo on the rear and a primarily red and white color scheme.  This new edition of the fire red Vs would also re-include the stitched "23" on the midsole that had been omitted in previous releases.  Check the image below to see the subtle, but major differences in the look of the shoe:

Classics: Air Jordan V Fire Red

This edition of the Air Jordan Retro V was released among the first in a series of Retro V's that would be released in both 1999 and 2000.  A change to the original Fire Red colorway that was released previously, the outsole features a dominant black color as opposed to the former red dominant and black accented outsole.  The original colorway on the Air Jordan Retro V would again be released in 2006, but the series ending in 2000 was the last to feature the "Nike Air" and check on the back of the shoe as opposed to the new "Jumpman" symbol featured on nearly all modern Air Jordan products.  I can proudly say that I own a pair of these that have been worn only a few times.. check the images below to see just how rare these really are:

Lebron IX Elite "South Beach"

Less than a month removed from the initial drop of the Lebron IX Elite, fans of the shoe can now wait and salivate over the North American release of the Lebron IX Elite "South Beach" edition (or not wait and buy them on Ebay).  The South Beach colorway, introduced for the first time last year in the Lebron VIII, was instantly sold out and surprisingly became one of the most collectible sneakers of 2011.  In fact, the Lebron VII South Beach still commands as much as $1000 on sites such as Ebay and flightclub.com.  With a strong tone of cool grey instead of overpowering new green and pink flash like in the past, this year's edition is much less ostentatious, and in my opinion is going to be one of the shoes to have in 2012.

"Big Bang" Series

Along the lines of the highly sought Galaxy Foamposites came with it a series of releases over the NBA All-Star Weekend this year.  Like the Nike Foamposite One that got the "galaxy" treatment, the Kobe System VII, the Lebron IX, the Nike Dunk, and other shoes got a similar makeover.  Known as the "big bang" series, these star-studded versions of each signature shoe were available for sale only at Footlocker House of Hoops locations during the All-Star Weekend, making them any of the models an extremely rare shoe.  Pictured below are my favorite from the series, the Kobe System VII "Big Bang":

Galaxy Foamposite

The Galaxy Foamposite, released on February 24th, caused the most buzz and activity out of any sneaker in my recent memory.  Being aware of every release and seeing how many people flock to buy each drop I can say for sure that this release is one that may never be rivaled again in the history of sneakers.  Reports from Orlando claimed that there were gangs shooting assault rifles into the air to clear crowds while fights and robberies were being reported at and around Footlocker House of Hoops locations all over the U.S.  Personally, I love the shoes, but the real question is.. are they really worth the $1,200 plus they are being re-sold for on Ebay?  I guess that the answer can only lie with the consumer....

Classics: Air Jordan XI Columbia

The Air Jordan 11 in Columbia blue is one of the most sought after of all the Jordan line.  Having been released only one other time since their original release in 1995, this shoe in this colorway is nearly impossible to find.  A primarily white midsole is accented by a blue outsole and black insole, making for a very clean - yet very stylish - sneaker.  This shoe is rumored to be in the works to come out again in 2012, so keep your eyes peeled because this shoe will certainly command some of the most hype of any sneaker to be released in the past few years.