posted 02-09-2012 09:10 AM               

Nike looks to space for NBA Star sneakers

Three icons of professional basketball will don special space-themed sneakers when they take the court for the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando later this month.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant will wear special edition Nike shoes styled after NASA spacesuits and inspired by astronauts. Their fans will also be able to purchase the same sneakers as well as others designed by Nike to evoke central Florida's association with space exploration.

posted 02-09-2012 09:05 PM               

In a nutshell, two of the players shoes' colorways — sneaker-speak for design — were inspired by the spacesuits worn by astronauts from their home states. The third, as well as the sportswear collection, was influenced by telescope imagery of nebulae (what Nike refers to as "supernova").

And as AJ noted, the players' shoes all feature logos designed to evoke mission patches.

posted 02-24-2012 08:12 AM               

Witnesses said there were about 1,200 people waiting outside Foot Locker for the release of the Nike Air Foamposite One Galaxy, a galactic-themed sneaker designed in part as a nod to Florida's space industry.

The shoes feature a colorful, starry design resembling a nebula in deep space. They even glow in the dark.

Officials said Foot Locker only had about 200 pairs of the new sneakers, and were prepared to start selling them at 11 p.m. Thursday.

But police said a crowd quickly formed outside the store more hours earlier. So officers asked everyone to wait across the street.

Then, around 9:45 p.m., police said one person made a run toward the store, and the rest of the crowd quickly followed, resulting in what some called "absolute chaos."