adidas Basketball Leaks
We got our first look at a couple of adidas signature athletes upcoming releases and they have a lot in common. We have now seen some leaked images of what is being called the adidas Anthony Edwards 1 (I hope they come up with a better name, just saying its not very catchy and I will now refer to them as the ANT 1. It’s my article and I can do what I want) and we got to see some leaked images of the adidas Harden Vol. 8. Both shoes feature a TPU upper over a mesh base. That’s a surprising turn from what we have seen in the past.
We’ll start with the ANT 1. Edwards was the first overall pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves, back in 2020 and he immediately signed with adidas. In his contract there was a stipulation that if Edwards made the All Star team he would receive his own signature shoe and in 2023 he did just that. The ANT 1 features a mesh base with a TPU overlay that rises all the way up from the sole appearing to be all one piece. There is the classic adidas athletics slanted 3 striped adorning the heel. They have a black bootie style opening for the foot. There is a clear design similarity to the adidas Fear of God shoes that will be releasing but there is no word on whether or not Jerry Lorenzo had any input on the shoes. They remind me slightly of the old AND1 Chosen 1, the shoe Ben Wallace made famous on his way to an NBA Championship, back to back Finals appearances, 6 straight Conference Finals appearances, oh and 4 Defensive Player of the Year trophies. If you can’t tell I am a lifelong Pistons fan. After that sidebar, the word is we will see the ANT 1 sometime in the fall of 2023 but no word on a price point.
Next up, The adidas Harden Vol. 8. These also feature a molded TPU overlay on top of a mesh upper. There is a clear design element that is continued from the Vol. 7. They also have that neoprene bootie style opening around the collar. From the images that we leaked they looked to have the same tooling as the previous model but no word for sure yet. I have not been a big fan of the Harden line in the past, nor am I a James Harden fan in general, but I do have to say I like these a lot. My main problem with the Vol. 7 was the puffer jacket type material that was on the upper, it looked so out of place on a basketball shoe. The TPU upper looks much better and gives an aggressive look. We don’t know where Harden is going to be playing next year but I can see that his foot game will be on point. Expect to see the Harden Vol. 8 in late 2023 possibly early 2024 and rumor is retail will be $160.
I am wondering if this is the way adidas design is going or if it's the influence of Jerry Lorenzo or it could just all be coincidence but no matter what I like the direction that adidas basketball is heading.
Images from NiceKicks! And Complex
You can contact the author, Andy Morrison (aka Biggie Smores), on any of his social media pages: @Biggie_Smores
