The second round of the NBA Playoffs rages on with all four of its series having a team win at least one game so far. On top of this, the basketball action is heating up even more with tonight serving as the WNBA’s season opener, including a regular season debut performance from Caitlin Clark. In anticipation of this, plenty of court-ready sneakers are dropping alongside the usual slate of high-powered collaborations and exciting in-line launches. PUMA, Reebok, New Balance, Nike, adidas and Jordan Brand are all involved in this week’s sneaker action. However, before we give you the rundown of this week’s best drops, let’s go ahead and review what went down on the news side of things last week.
Nike took advantage of the excitement surrounding the new WNBA season by announcing that A’ja Wilson has her first signature shoe on the way. It also had an early image of Sabrina Ionescu’s Nike Sabrina 2 leak — revealing a design reminiscent of the Kobe 5. From there, Tim Cook collaborated with the Swoosh to flex a 1-of-1 pair of Nike Air Max 1 ’86s in celebration of the new iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Pro being revealed. First looks at the VERDY x Nike SB Dunk Low “Vick” and Travis Scott x Nike Shark-A-Don “Sail” also hit the net.
As for the Jumpman team, it also had a Travis Scott project in the news as the latest stories from the rumor mill included word of a Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low OG SP “Velvet Brown.” Another rumor to surface mentioned a Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 “Firewood Orange” arriving in 2025. After months of discussion, a first look at the Air Jordan 1 “Black Toe Reimagined” revealed its special collar detailing.
Elsewhere in the footwear industry, adidas had a first look at its latest Wales Bonner x adidas Samba project surface, this time combining on the adidas Samba Millennium. New Balance kept up its momentum with the 1000 silhouette as a new “Angora Moonrock” caught the eyes of many sneakerheads. Crocs rounded out the week with teasers of two new Quick Trail Low colorways and Salehe Bembury’s Crocs Pollex Juniper in “Realtree Camo.”
With all of the past week’s key headlines reviewed, let’s go ahead and dive into what to expect from the sneaker space this week on the drops side of things. Once you review this week’s best ten releases, be sure to hit up HBX to shop styles that are available to purchase now.
PUMA Stewie 3 “Dawn”
Release Date: May 14
Release Price: $125 USD
Where to Buy: PUMA
Why You Should Cop: Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart may not have been able to lead her team to victory over A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces in last year’s WNBA Finals, but she’s poised to make another run for the title in 2024. Backing her this season is her third signature shoe with PUMA — introducing the PUMA Stewie 3. Debuting in its “Dawn” iteration, the design draws inspiration from three countries: Japan, Brazil and Spain, as demonstrated by the shoe’s floral detailing and vivid color arrangement.
JJJJound x Reebok Club C 85
Release Date: May 15
Release Price: $150 USD
Where to Buy: Reebok
Why You Should Cop: The rollout of JJJJound’s latest project with Reebok is set to continue with the shoe’s release via Reebok itself. Drawing inspiration from JJJJound’s “Coastal Summer” theme for Spring/Summer 2024, the duo constructed three suede-covered colorways of the Club C 85. “Cork Suede,” “White Suede” and “Light Grey Suede” have been equipped with desaturated color palettes that should fit into anyone’s rotation with ease.
Issey Miyake x New Balance MT10O
Release Date: May 15
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: Issey Miyake
Why You Should Cop: At last, we have the debut of the new partnership between Issey Miyake and New Balance. The two first teamed up last September to equip Issey Miyake’s Spring/Summer 2024 runway show with their new MT10O project. Now, three colorways of “White,” “Black” and “Blue Green” offer monochromatic makeovers with yellow Vibram branding. The outdoor-ready silhouette has been altered to feel closer to walking barefoot, as illustrated by its ultra-low cut and slim profile.
Futura Laboratories x Nike SB Dunk Low
Release Date: May 15 and 18
Release Price: $135 USD
Where to Buy: Futura Laboratories and Select Skate Shops
Why You Should Cop: After over half a year of teasers, it’s finally time for Futura’s latest creation with Nike SB to be made available to the masses. In celebration of the duo’s decades of work together, the Futura Laboratories x Nike SB Dunk Low sees many familiar Futura motifs grace the beloved sneaker’s overlays. The artist’s signature rests at the lateral heel while the medial heel sees the “FL” logo present. Futura’s signature also lands at both the special tongue tags and the icy translucent outsole to round out this much-anticipated release.
KoRn x adidas Campus 2.0
Release Date: May 15
Release Price: $120 USD
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: American nu-metal band KoRn first connected with adidas back in late 2023 — preparing an expansive range of footwear and apparel together. Now, for 2024, the duo has teamed up once again to introduce their Campus 2.0 silhouette. Building atop the silhouette’s OG shape, it sports a rugged finish across its upper with special “KoRn” branding at the right shoe’s heel and the left shoe’s tongue. That’s not all — it arrives in a special box with two sets of alternate laces, a sticker pack and a KoRn-branded guitar pick hangtag.
Nike GT Hustle 2 “Victor Wembanyama”
Release Date: May 15
Release Price: $170 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Having just been crowned the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, Victor Wembanyama has his first PE release with Nike taking place this week. Outfitting the GT Hustle 2, which was Wembanyama’s model of choice when playing this past season, the two have leaned into his otherworldly talents with an alien-themed colorway. A galaxy-inspired pattern sees green grace the otherwise black sneaker as Wembanyama’s “Be Unique Every Day” motto graces the semi-translucent outsole and his alien logo appears at both the heel and the sockliner of the sneaker.
adidas Samba Humanrace “Colors Pack”
Release Date: May 15
Release Price: TBC
Where to Buy: adidas
Why You Should Cop: Pharrell Williams has been at the helm of Louis Vuitton for about a year now, though that hasn’t slowed him down from working on his other partnerships as he has once again teamed up with adidas for a pack of Humanrace-designed Sambas. Dubbed the “Colors Pack,” six gray colorways of the Samba have been enlivened by blue, yellow, red, black, green and white detailing respectively — offering versatile finishes that can be dressed up or down.
Nike KD 17 “Safety Orange”
Release Date: May 17
Release Price: $150 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Kevin Durant’s postseason run with the Phoenix Suns did not last long as he was swiftly eliminated by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in a four-game sweep. However, he’s still finding wins off the court as his 17th signature shoe with the Swoosh makes its debut this week. The Nike KD 17 begins its run in “Safety Orange” — a look sported by not only Durant, but Chet Holmgren as well. The Air Max Plus-inspired cage sees an orange gradient cover it, ensuring that the court-ready sneaker will stand out.
Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Canary”
Release Date: May 17
Release Price: $150 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: Travis Scott’s projects featuring the Air Jordan 1 Low OG continue to draw in the masses as his reverse Swoosh-equipped takes on the adored sneaker continue to top the charts as bestsellers. His latest look to hit shelves carries a “Canary” yellow that serves as an homage to Scott’s high school, Lawerence E. Elkins High. It sees the pale yellow hue dress its overlays and heel while a soft white adorns the base and a bright blue hits the shoe’s Swooshes on each side. Red branding appears at both the tongue and medial midfoot while a white stitched midsole rests atop a gum outsole to complete the look.
Air Jordan 11 Low “Space Jam”
Release Date: May 18
Release Price: $190 USD
Where to Buy: SNKRS
Why You Should Cop: The “Space Jam” rendition of the Air Jordan 11 is one that has been embraced for almost 30 years now, though it’s finally appearing in low-top form for the first time this week. Its black patent leather mudguard makes a return, matching the textile upper, while white at the midsole combines perfectly with an icy semi-translucent outsole to complete the fitting homage.
