Let's paint a picture of this past Friday night in Indianapolis. The air was crisp and cold that night, but that didn't stop the stars from descending on the Indiana city. After all, it was NBA All-Star Weekend.
It couldn't have been a more perfect time for adidas to gather up its close (and famous) friends and preview its 2024 lineup of basketball sneakers. One might even say that the brand quite literally brought the heat to the chilly city.
adidas has maintained a solid relationship with the game (basketball) for years now, positioned as a home to basketball icons like the Forum, Top Ten, and Rivalry, to name a few.
Today, adidas only advances its basketball shoe legacy with future classics like its IIInfiinity series and NBA player signatures designed by star athletes like Anthony Edwards and James Harden.
As a result, adidas is quite literally killing the basketball shoe game with its innovative builds, futuristic designs, and nice colorways. And adidas' latest preview further proves its basketball shoe collection is unbeatable.
At All-Star Weekend, adidas debuted its "Future of adidas Basketball" exhibition in Indianapolis, attended by familiar faces like Damian Lillard, Candace Parker, Jalen Williams, and Trae Young — some of whom had fresh sneakers in view at the showcase.
Lillard personally showed off his Dame 9, his ninth signature shoe with adidas. The adidas Dame 9 made quite the introduction in a bright reddish-orange and black colorway.
Young's Trae 2 followed in a similar color arrangement with a splatter design. At the same time, Edwards's buzzy AE 1 sneakers appeared with a fresh red paint job inspired by his days as a Bulldog at the University of Georgia.
Donovan Mitchell's D.O.N. Issue 6 sort of broke up the red and black vibes, with the point guard's sixth shoe making a purple debut at the adidas showcase.
adidas' general basketball offering was equally solid. The Three-Stripes introduced new additions to its IIInfinity series, including an unreleased Mad IIInfinity colorway, the long-awaited Nova IIInfinity sneakers, and adiFOM IIInfinity mules and slide sandals.
In addition to having some Superstars and an Exhibit Select Pro on display, adidas also revealed a deliberately-aged adidas Jabbar, hinting at plans to bring back the shoe designed for NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Final verdict? adidas' 2024 basketball lineup is packed with heat (this is a good thing). It will undoubtedly be a good year for fans of hooping and adidas shoes — even better if you fall within both categories.
