While the celebrity game is a cute way to engage the most casual of basketball fans, I never considered it apart of All-Star Weekend. From my few years experience, it is never in the NBA arena of that city and there is always overlap between the end of this game, and the start of the Rookie/Sophomore Rising Stars Challenge game.

For the second year in a row, the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge pitted a team of combination rookie and sophomore international players against 1st and 2nd-year NBA players from the United States. The mesh of players led to a combination of athletes across the sportswear brand spectrum.

Andrew Wiggins kept it clean going with the Canada-themed ‘Marita’ adidas Crazylight Boost 2.5; a Player Edition that the Stripes recently released on the low. He also started the game in a black/gold Crazylight Boost 2.5 colorway adidas made especially to hook up to the Team World uniforms.

Emmanuel Mudiay brought out a red colorway of the Under Armour Fire Low. Two different editions of the Nike HyperLive were seen as well.

Nike had the strongest showing with 13 players in Swoosh sneakers (14 if you count Jabari who wore the Jordan CP3.IX).

Clint Capela, Nikola Jokic, and Dwight Powell all wore a never-before-seen green-and-orange colorway of the Nike HyperLive & LeBron Soldier IX that featured the same print. Karl Anthony-Townes laced up a corresponding colorway of the current Nike Hyperdunk as well.

Take a look at the three best sneakers seen during the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge.

Trey Lyles – ‘Freegum’ Nike LeBron 9 Soldier

Trey Lyles (@TreyMamba41) in the 'Freegums' @NikeBasketball LeBron Soldier IX during the #BBVArisingStars game at @NBAallStar. #BensNBAsneakerCards x #THDkicks

A photo posted by The Hoop Doctors (@thdkicks) on Feb 14, 2016 at 10:08am PST

Zach LaVine – ‘Northern Lights’ Nike Foamposite One

@ZachLavine8 throws it down during the #BBVArisingStars game at the 2016 @NBAallStar Weekend in Toronto. #BensNBAsneakerCards x #THDkicks

A photo posted by The Hoop Doctors (@thdkicks) on Feb 14, 2016 at 7:56am PST

Andrew Wiggins – ‘Marita’ adidas Crazylight Boost 2.5

Andrew Wiggins (@22wiggins) in the 'Marita' @adidasHoops Crazylight Boost 2.5 during the #BBVArisingStars game at @NBAallStar in #Toronto. #BensNBAsneakerCards x #THDkicks

A photo posted by The Hoop Doctors (@thdkicks) on Feb 14, 2016 at 8:35am PST

The post Best Sneakers Seen At 2016 NBA Rising Stars Challenge appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Though it might not seem like it, James Harden is having a career year. Not even a full year after switching from Nike to an adidas sneaker endorsement, we are seeing his first Player Exclusive pair release.

Thanks to a career-high in points, assists, and rebounding averages, James Harden earned his way into the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto and adidas will have him laced properly in this new all star crazylight boost 2.5 PE.

Featuring sewn Primeknit construction on the upper, top-of-the-line Boost foam cushioning in the heel, this adidas Crazylight Boost 2.5 ‘All-Star’ PE features the adidas Xeno light-reactive material on the upper. What seperates the Xeno print from standard reflective 3M or other similar materials is that Xeno not only reacts to direct lights from camera flashes, but indirect light in the form of the sun or near-by displays.

In the last few words of the press release sending over the assets included in this post, adidas representatives stated that more James Harden PE colorways of the Crazylight Boost 2.5 will release in the Spring.

The ‘James Harden All-Star’ adidas Crazylight Boost 2.5 PE releases on Saturday, February 12th for $140 on the adidas webstore.

The post Adidas Unveils ‘All-Star’ Crazylight Boost 2.5 For James Harden appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

After James Harden made the highly-publicized endorsement switch from Nike to adidas there wasn’t much else heard.

Nick DePaula, now of Nice Kicks, had access to three Player Exclusive pairs of the adidas Crazylight Boost 2.5 and shared this picture. The 2.5 Primeknit upgrades from the regular Crazylight Boost 2 are clearly seen; but what caught my attention the most is the H13 Logo on the tongue of all three adidas. You could even argue the bottom of the #3 makes the shape for the J however this isn’t likely to be his final adidas logo – using his beard is too good of branding to pass up.

No word if any of these three James Harden Player Exclusive pairs of the adidas Crazylight Boost 2.5 will release.

[ images via Nick DePaula/Nice Kicks ]

The post New James Harden Logo Unveiled On Crazylight Boost 2.5 PE Set appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Inspired by his Andrew Wiggins’ mother, Marita Payne-Wiggins, and her own personal success as an Olympic sprinter is this new adidas Crazylight Boost 2.5 Player Exclusive colorway.

Upgrading the second sneaker in the adidas Crazylight series to feature the industry-leading Boost foam technology, the ‘Marita’ adidas Crazylight Boost 2.5 features a red-to-silver gradient fade on the upper made from a combination of Primeknit and synthetics.

The Canadian maple leaf seen in the AW logo on the tongue looks very appropriate on this Crazylight Boost 2.5 which pays homage to the 1984 4×400-meter and 4×100-meter relay teams that Andrew’s mom Marita was apart of who earned silver medals in both events.

The ‘Marita’ adidas Crazylight Boost 2.5 is available NOW for $125 on the adidas webstore.

The post adidas Crazylight Boost 2.5 – ‘Marita’ Backstory & Release Info appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Until becoming a paid professional, working in that sports doesn’t come with too many tangible rewards at first. When young, one of the most sought-after perks when you play at a consistantly high level (and with proper positioniong) is a sportswear connect.

Everything from last name-branded apparel to team shirts are worn with pride. That signifies being worthy of working out with a specific group of other elite players or attendance at a premiere hoops event. Under Armour, realizing that not everyone could cook like Chef Curry, decided to throw the public a bone with this quite Player Exclusive release.

In a surprise move, the ‘SC30 Select Camp’ colorway of the Under Armour Curry One Low has made its way to the UA webstore. Originally only given to selected participants of Stephen Curry’s high school basketball camp for point guards, now you don’t have to be a D1 prospect to come up on a pair!

The ‘SC30 Select Camp’ Under Armour Curry One Low is available on the UA webstore right NOW for $120.

The post Under Armour Curry One Low ‘SC30 Select Camp’ Release Info appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Reebok dominated the basketball market for years. From the 1990s into the early 2000s, the Vector brand was the market leader in the hoops footwear space. Aiming for future relevance, Reebok signed Allen Iverson to a lifetime contract which featured a signature sneaker with the closest silhouette amount to Michael Jordan’s shoe series.

Here we see Reebok continue to put on for AI by placing his high school basketball team in some new Player Exclusive sneakers of the Reebok Question. Featuring an upper with mostly metallic gold, green suede is also used on this Reebok Question PE made specially for the Bethal Bruins; Allen Iverson’s high school basketball team.

No word yet if this Player Exclusive colorway of the Reebok Question that Allen Iverson’s High School is seen here wearing will release nationwide.

The post Allen Iverson’s High School Gets Reebok Question PE appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Let’s face it: Under Armour basketball sneakers look better as a low top.

This has been clear since the Prototype series back when Brandon Jennings was the lone Under Armour wolf in the NBA. That early loyalty has out Jennings in an interesting position if UA takes off in the basketball market the way they are projected to.

Here we get two, close looks at a Player Exclusive colorway of the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive 2 Low featuring Brandon Jennings’ Bloodline logo on the tongue. This hooks up perfectly to the Detroit Pistons uniform.

After the first few years, Under Armour has developed a pattern of releasing the full-height version during the NBA season and the lowtop during the summer.

However in the case of the ClutchFit Drive 2, the silhouette has been out of several months now. Logic would suggest that the ClutchFit Drive 2 Low would be getting a release date within the next few weeks.

No official word as to when the Under Armour ClutchFit Drive 2 Low will be released.

The post Under Armour ClutchFit Drive 2 Low – ‘Brandon Jennings’ PE appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Any company that aligns themselves with Drake will get extra eyeballs they wouldn’t get otherwise.

Going away from the stingray leather used on the first set of OVO Jordans, both the white and black Air Jordan 8 OVO editions feature what looks to be a high-quality tumbled leather throughout the entire sneaker’s upper.

Back at the tail end of 2013, we first learned of the Jordan Brand affiliation with Drake when he unveiled both a white and black OVO colorway of the Air Jordan X and Air Jordan XII. With the release of the white OVO Jordan 10 continuously being pushed back (the new alleged date is October 3rd), don’t hold out much hope for these new ‘OVO’ Jordan 8 colorways releasing anytime soon.

The post Drake Shows Off ‘OVO’ Air Jordan Retro 8s appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

The post Top 13 James Harden On-Court Nike Sneakers appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Stephen Curry is on top the basketball world right now. Along with being the reigning NBA MVP and capturing his first Larry O’Brien trophy with the Golden State Warriors, the elder Splash Brother also is toward the end of the rollout for his first signature sneaker.

Not to be complacent, Under Armour looks ready to rollout the Curry Two as suggested by Stephen wearing them ever since Team USAB Mens practice/tryouts started on UNLV campus. Just off the strength of these looks, the heel counter looks higher than on the Curry One and this edition looks to have more casual wear appeal than the first.

No official word from Under Armour as to the release date for the Under Armour Curry Two.

The post Stephen Curry Debuts Under Armour Curry Two At USAB Camp appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

adidas is definitely “all in” with the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins. Earlier in the summer we showed you the Home colorway of the Crazylight Boost [5] that Wiggins would be wearing, now take a look at the Away pair.

Featuring a blue, sewn Primeknit upper, the ‘AW15 Road’ adidas Crazylight Boost 2015 is purposely designed to look like winter. Just like the other Player Edition colorways, this pair features Wiggins’ “AW15” maple leaf logo on the synthetic logo tongue as a nod to Canada; his home country.

The ‘Andrew Wiggins Road’ adidas Crazylight Boost 2015 is available NOW for $130 at Foot Locker and the adidas webstore.

The post adidas Crazylight Boost 2015 – ‘AW15 Road’ Release Info appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

High school basketball talent is at an all-time high, so it is only right that adidas lace their Nations participants with what might be their best on-court performance basketball sneaker currently available; the Crazylight Boost 2015 edition.

Double-stacked Boost foam in the heel, the sewn Primeknit upper in black, and gold accents throughout makes up the ‘Nations’ adidas Crazylight Boost 2015 Player Exclusive seen during the final rounds of the adidas Uprising high school basketball games.

Throughout this whole high school basketball off-season, adidas has been hooking the young hoopers up with exclusive Crazylight Boost 2015 colorways.

No official word as to if adidas will release the ‘Nations’ colorway of the Crazylight Boost 2015; but I wouldn’t count on it. Pairs (deadstock & lightly worn) will likely end up on eBay in the next few weeks, but if really pining for this pair you could make something very similar thru the miadidas customization program.

The post adidas Crazy Light Boost 2015 – ‘Nations’ PE appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

2015 marks the 20th year the Michael Jordan Flight School basketball camp. Held in California, the 775-attendee camp offers both the day($660) and overnight($800) options. While overseeing sessions, His Airness wore several different Air Jordan XX9 Low pairs; below we take a look at two of them.

Surprisingly, the camp doesn’t outfit either sessions (overnight or day) with anything. There is camp Dri-Fit t-shirts, but those are sold in the large camp store (though every attendee that completes camp leaves with a Jordan Brand giftbag, Flight School poster, personal Michael Jordan autograph, and three meals each day).

Michael Jordan has a history of unveiling lowtop Air Jordans in other organic ways at his own camp, like on a float after winning a Larry O’Brien trophy with the Chicago Bulls. No official word as to if any Air Jordan XX9 Low will release.

The post Michael Jordan Debuts Air Jordan XX9 Low At Flight School Camp appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

During the first NBA Global Games in Africa, Los Angeles Clippers floor general Chris Paul took advantage of the additional eyeballs to give the world its first & best look at his upcoming signature sneaker, the Jordan CP3.IX.

While sneakers from Jordan Brand tend to be only checked for if the word “Air” and “Retro” are attached with a Roman Numeral at the end, Chris Paul’s signature line with Jordan has released some of the best basketball sneakers in the last decade with the CP3.VI [6] & Jordan CP3.VII [7].

If you’ve been keeping track, then you know Chris Paul has been on a sneaker hotstreak throughout the summer: first a special-edition CP3.VIII AE made especially for the Entourage movie, then a very Player Exclusive pair of the Air Jordan XI (11) in emerald green, now breaking out a likely limited edition colorway of the Jordan CP3.IX before the sneaker was even officially announced.

No official word from Jordan Brand as to a release date for the CP3.IX, so I will guess sometime in November.

The post Chris Paul Debuts Jordan CP3.IX During NBA Africa Game appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Despite not winning the NBA Finals, Chris Paul is at the top of the best sneakers of 2015 list after being seen in this Emerald Air Jordan XI (11) Player Exclusive one day at the Nike Basketball Academy events out in Santa Monica.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a Jordan Brand signature athlete pop up wearing a basic-but-exclusive Jordan 11 colorway. Late in 2014, Carmelo Anthony both was seen wearing and posted on Instagram a red Air Jordan XI with this same color-blocking.

Absolutely no word from Jordan Brand as to if these emerald green Air Jordan XI (11) that Chris Paul wore will ever get a release date.

The post Chris Paul Shows Off ‘Emerald’ Air Jordan XI (11) appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.