NikeĬheck out the video below on how to clean your kicks. Nike The medial side of the “Hot Lava Black” Nike LeBron 16. Nike The lateral side of the “Hot Lava Black” Nike LeBron 16. Nike The medial side of the “Hot Lava White” Nike LeBron 16. The lateral side of the “Hot Lava White” Nike LeBron 16. In 2013, the tennis great re-signed with the Swoosh, which kicked off a number of special-edition sneaker releases. The Nike Air Tech Challenge 2 “Hot Lava” will retail for $130, while the white and black colorways of the Nike LeBron 16 “Hot Lava” will cost $200.Īgassi spent 17 years with Nike before signing with Adidas in 2005. But if I did, and I had to choose, there’s no question which one I’d pick.Coinciding with the return of the Air Tech Challenge 2, two contrasting white and black makeups of the LeBron 16 “Hot Lava” will also release featuring the aforementioned pattern at the heel, tongue and on the Swoosh logo.Īll three pairs will be available on the SNKRS app Friday at 10 a.m. I’m not inner-circle enough (or inner-circle at all) to get Yeezys, and I’m not terribly enamored with the current piranha-fest Twitter RSVP method of acquiring sought-after retros. To be entirely honest, I don’t own either sneaker. Open finals appearances, all of which Agassi achieved in 1990. But traditionally Nikes have earned their reputation through athletic achievement, and no sold-out arena or elaborate stage show will ever equal an ATP World Championship, a Davis Cup win, or French and U.S. This is something that Kanye West has proven incredibly adept at across all aspects of his career. It effectively utilizes elements of sneakers from the ‘80s and ‘90s (the midfoot strap, the faux exotic skins) to elicit emotion. No mullet wigs or acid-wash denim required.Īs for the long-awaited Nike Air Yeezy “Red Octobers,” what do they represent really? Built on the literal foundation of the Tech Challenge II - a virtually identical outsole and midsole - the Yeezy II is a chimera of a sneaker designed by, and mostly for, a guy who has since left Nike for adidas. There’s a whole new generation buying sneakers now, those who did cop last time are probably looking to re-up, and anyone who put their pairs on ice waiting for that perfect time to break them out - um, what the hell were you thinking? It’s a sneaker whose point of reference is firmly fixed in time, and it carries that “welcome to the ‘90s” vibe whenever it drops. It doesn’t really matter that the “Hot Lava” Tech Challenge II returned last just eight years ago, or that back then it wound up on sales racks. But it was also a performance upgrade as, like Agassi himself, the flashy exterior was merely the sizzle. The fact that Tinker Hatfield designed it at the peak of his powers shouldn't come as a surprise. The Tech Challenge II was the sneaker that brought tennis shoes into the ‘90s, the core of Andre Agassi’s “rock and roll tennis” look. It still doesn’t come with a retro card or anything like that, but for those of us who were alive (and sentient) during its initial release, we remember what it meant. The “Hot Lava” Tech Challenge II is one of those. ![]() Splatters of hot lava add heat to the swoosh, tongue, heel and sole, infusing this look with the retro flavor we still crave. Exponentially so.īut occasionally a release can cut through the clutter. A black, premium leather upper is complemented by overlays of white and flat silver on the midfoot, collar and mudguard. And hybrids diluted things even further, as designers approached new sneakers like hip-hop tracks, sampling from every era. A sneaker from 1986 sat on the shelf next to one from 1995 next to a brand-new one, with no explanation. One of my first, if not my first, columns addressed the troubling fact that context was being lost amidst an avalanche of retro releases being delivered with no rhyme or reason. Bright Swooshes and a bright heel graphic recall Agassis disruptive look at the 1990 French Open. ![]() BattleKnit 2.0 integrates with a micro-perforated leather tongue and a ribbed inner bootie. Allow me to continue.īack in the early 2000s, I succeeded Chris Hall as the author of Mass Appeal’s monthly “Kickin’ It” sneaker column. Launched in May 2019, the Nike LeBron 16 Air Tech Challenge Hot Lava White sneaker is an homage to Andre Agassis wild style persona. I can explain why in just one word - significance - but I suppose that wouldn’t make for much of an essay. By Russ Bengtson ( should come as a surprise to absolutely no one - with the possible exception of Kanye West, who is likely blissfully unaware of my existence anyway - that I would rather have a pair of “Hot Lava” Nike Air Tech Challenge IIs than the near-mythical “Red October” Air Yeezy II.
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