Patrick Ewing’s Jamaica & Georgetown 33 Hi Returns

by richardtreatsdryden on March 27, 2013

Sneakers

This Saturday, March 30th, the reign of Patrick Ewing’s 33 Hi continues when they’re released in the United States. Stores nationwide like Atmos, UBIQ, and UNDFTD will carry the Knick legend’s signature shoe in the Georgetown University navy/gray color scheme and in white/black/green for the Jamaica release.

Both pairs go deeper into the heritage of Patrick Aloysius Ewing. Starting with his birthplace of Kingston, Jamaica, the 33 Hi has the country’s flag emblazoned on the heel. Fun Fact: Patrick Ewing was born on August 5th, 1962 just a day before Jamaica declared its independence from Britain. Another milestone in Ewing’s personal and professional life was attending Georgetown University, playing for the Hoyas all four years. The Georgetown colorway of the 33 Hi commemorates his great run, which also consisted of winning an NCAA title in the 1983-84 season against the University of Houston.

Ewing recently sat down with Complex.com for their Quickstrike show to talk about starting Ewing Athletics with the founder of Pony in 1989.

“Things weren’t going the way I thought they should be going at Adidas. They didn’t like the fact that I was hurt. I told them just buy me out and I’ll go my own ways. Roberto Mueller came to me with the idea to start my own company. I jumped on board, came out with an all-white shoe so everybody could forget the other people and move on, and it worked.”

Check out more photos of the Ewing 33 Hi below. Got a favorite from the line of Ewing 33 Hi? The streets want to know.

Nike Air Swift’s Big Three: Harper, Cassell, Pippen

by richardtreatsdryden on March 17, 2013

Sneakers

Before the 3-game losing streak set in for the Knicks, on Monday night I tuned in for a more glorious moment in their franchise history, the Road to the NBA Finals. MSG Network replayed the dramatic game four against the Houston Rockets. The Knicks won that magical night 91-82, lead by Derek Harper’s team high of 21 points. The Knicks tied the series at The Garden, then went on to lead the series 3-2 in the following game. How does this relate to sneakers? On Derek’s feet during the Finals, he wore the Nike Air Swift. The kicks were stylistically versatile as he rocked the black and blue colorway in his home and away uniform. It’s their ubiquity around the league though that would make them a favorite with another point guard, Sam Cassell who wore the white and red kit during the Finals against the Knicks. Yet, the Air Swift’s most famous moment would highlight Scottie Pippen’s straight up disrespectful dunk on Patrick Ewing in the ’94 playoffs. Pip was determined to win another championship that year without the retired Michael Jordan, writing “4-PEAT” on his sneakers. The Knicks put the kibosh on his hopes by defeating the Bulls. Still, Pip made Ewing into one of the craziest posters in history, immortalizing the Air Swift into the canon of the Swoosh’s greatest basketball kicks.

Melo’s Air Jordan Timeline While In Denver

by richardtreatsdryden on March 13, 2013

Sneakers

Carmelo Anthony is under a microscope after his lackluster play against Golden State on Monday night. The Knicks were held to 63 points, with 14 from Melo’s output. How efficient he will be over the course of four more games on the road is up in the air, considering he’s sustained a sore right knee, which had him sidelined for three games. As Melo’s performance is being scrutinized by press in the face of his health, and the state of his team that can succeed in his absence, there’s one thing not at the center of controversy—his sneakers. Melo signed with Jordan Brand in 2003 when he entered the league fresh off an NCAA championship at Syracuse. The white, university blue, and yellow taxi colorways of the Denver Nuggets became a staple of his signature shoes; metallic silver, and black were part of the alternate design.

Being a member of Jordan Brand, Anthony also enjoyed the perks of having a limited run (e.g. Player Exclusive, Future Sole) of Jordans also in Denver colorways. He would wear those on court as much as his own signature shoes. Today, the Jordan Melo series continues with the M9, released this January. In the past couple of years since he’s been in New York, the M8, M8 Advance, and M9 are all you see in Melo’s rotation, not any special Jordan Retro versions in Knicks orange and blue. Is it safe to say Carmelo Anthony’s sneakers as a Knick have eclipsed his Denver era? The Melo collection has shown an evolution in design and popularity. There’s no denying the M6 as one of Melo’s best because they were one of his most light-weight shoes ever. Before that, the M5.5 contained notes of the Jordan 5 and 6: like the 3M tongue and silhouette, but it was all Melo at the end of the day with his emerald birthstone incorporated into the design, along with a TV ad campaign that took him back to his hometown of Baltimore.

The tide is changing for Melo’s sneakers. His most recent shoes are slowly breaking away from being referred to with the Jordan prefix, now becoming an major event that isn’t just another Jumpman23 release. The M9 is pushing the envelope with Flywire materials setting it apart from other Air Jordan releases. That’s an achievement for Melo’s branding. Immortalizing his legacy in the sneaker world can be mentioned in the same breath as his retired jersey. Patrick Ewing has seen this type of fanfare recently with the resurging popularity of his own signature kicks. Before that moment comes for Melo, take a walk down memory lane of his classic material.

AIR JORDAN MELO 1.5 (2003)