The whole crew is back together… Nick, Mike, Robbie, and Rohit are all in the same (virtual) room for the first time in a while, and things get weird before they get good. From confusing their Thugs (Young vs. Slim, no disrespect to either) to breaking down the Reebok Engine A26 and the adidas x Spider collab dropping March 3rd, the guys cover a lot of ground this episode.
The real meat of the conversation though? That ESPN story by Baxter Holmes about the Jordan 19 and the Black Mamba origin… it turns out the snakeskin concept that defined Kobe’s entire identity was originally pitched for Michael Jordan, who wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Nick, Rohit, and Mike dig into why that story matters beyond the history books, what it says about how sneaker media used to work, and why moments like this one don’t happen nearly enough anymore.
Then the conversation shifts to Formula 1, sneaker partnerships in motorsports, where the real opportunity is, and why Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari might be more interesting for the sneaker world than anyone is talking about yet.
Oh, and somewhere in there, Robbie gets off a line about MJ having too many animal nicknames that you just have to hear for yourself.
Topics covered:
Reebok Engine A26, adidas x Spider Superstar Super Modified, Jordan 19 Black Mamba origin story, WNBA Jordan Heir II, Hyrox vs. CrossFit, Formula 1 sneaker partnerships, NIL deals and the future of basketball culture.
ESPN Story: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48016100/inside-secret-history-black-mamba-kobe-bryant-michael-jordan-air-jordan-19
Nick’s Story: https://www.thesneakernewsletter.com/p/sometimes-the-universe-proves-your
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