Stephen Fiorentine is a freelance writer from Long Island. He loves his New York Giants and Yankees, as well as Cool Ranch Doritos. Follow him on Twitter.
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Nike Kobe 9 Elite "What the Kobe"
Expected release date: January 11
Not only is the Nike Kobe 9 Elite "What the Kobe" one of the hottest releases of January, it figures to be one of the most anticipated sneakers of all of 2015. In the perfect send off for one of the most innovative sneakers of our time, the "What the Kobe" is made up of portions of previous Kobe 9 Elite releases. If that wasn't enough to draw you in, the sneakers actually glow in the dark when the lights are shut off. Dropping this Sunday, you'll get an early chance to cop one of 2015's biggest releases.
$275
Nike Air Pippen 6
Expected release date: January 15
Scottie Pippen is the first of a handful of sneaker legends to see their signature sneaker lines rebooted in 2015. Taking on a Chicago Bulls red and black color scheme, the shoe is a perfect tribute to Pippen's incredibly fruitful NBA career. Besides its speckled midsole, the two things that really stand out about this shoe are its shiny metallic detailing and red lace lock, bringing to mind a certain other player's sixth signature sneaker.
$150
2.
adidas D Lillard 1
Expected release date: February 6
After the successful launch of the John Wall signature era, adidas is set to introduce Portland's Damian Lillard as its next signature star. An official introduction by the Three Stripes is scheduled for January 13, but we already have an idea of what the sneaker looks like. Apparently, it's Lillard's wish to make the shoe an affordable option for ballers and without adidas' Boost technology gracing the midsole, the All-Star guard may just get his way. Stay tuned.
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Under Armour Curry 1
Expected release date: February 2015
We're in a golden age of point guards. If you need proof, just look at the number of players running the one who have their own signature sneakers: Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, John Wall and Damian Lillard. That's without mentioning guards like Rajon Rondo and Tony Parker who have shoe deals with Chinese companies like Anta and Peak, respectively. Come February you can add another name to list when Under Armour's Curry 1 drops. Made up of Golden State Warriors colors, the sneaker ditches UA's ClutchFit upper material in favor a perforated mesh tailored perfectly for one half of the "Splash Brothers."
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Nike Kobe X
Expected release date: February 2015
All signs point to a February launch for the Nike Kobe X. The release of the Nike Kobe 9 Elite "BHM" ensured that Mamba's ninth signature silhouette would see at least a little more court time, but the end of the iconic shoe's run is eminent. Early reports said that Bryant planned on wearing the Kobe X during the NBA All-Star Game, which was later supported by leaked images of an alleged Kobe X "All-Star Game" colorway. While there's no release date or launch news written in ink, we're pretty sure we should be seeing Mamba's 10th silhouette with Nike next month.
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Nike Beard 1
Expected release date: February 2015
Remember all those point guards we mentioned before? Well you could add another one to this list, as rumor has it that James Harden is set to get his own signature sneaker with Nike sooner rather than later. Supposedly called the Beard 1, the silhouette may drop as early as All-Star Weekend, where plenty more sneaker surprises are sure to be in store.
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Nike KD 8
Expected Release date: July 2015
It's hard to believe we're already talking about Kevin Durant's next signature sneaker, when he hasn't even worn the KD7 for a regular season game yet. But back in November, Durant shed some light on his next signature silhouette in an interview, saying that you can expect the shoes sometime around the 4th of July. KD added that even he hasn't seen the images of the upcoming sneaker, which will hopefully accommodate the reigning MVP a little better than the KD7 did.
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Nike LeBron 12 "What the LeBron"
Expected release date: 2015
With all the colorways Nike has in store for the LeBron 12 to start off 2015, the "What the LeBron" version is surely still a ways off. But if the sneaker is anything like LeBron 11 "What the LeBron" then we're already giddy. They sneaker's Hyperposite overlay could make for some intriguing possibilities as far as the shoe's aesthetic makeup. The real question, though, is if Nike continues to borrow from previous entires in the LeBron series or just sticks with what it has with the 12. Regardless, the Nike LeBron 12 "What the LeBron" has some lofty shoes to fill.
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Nike Air Penny VI
Expected release date: 2015
Penny Hardaway has carved out a nice little niche for himself in sneaker circles with his legendary Air Penny series with Nike. In 2015, the iconic shoe is going to see a reboot, as the Air Penny VI is reportedly slated to hit shelves. As you can see in the photo above, Nike is loading up the Air Penny VI with Flywire cables and and a 180 degrees max air unit to bring some present day flavor to this classic sneaker line.
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Nike LeBron 13
Expected release date: Late 2015
It's hard to believe that LeBron James is going on his 13th signature silhouette with Nike, but that's exactly what's set to happen in 2015. The LeBron 12's run is still alive and well, so we don't expect to see this silhouette until at least the start of next season, but we can already start to speculate as to what Nike is going to do. The Swoosh always seems to save its latest and greatest performance technology for King James. Last year, you may remember, it was the introduction of Nike's HexZoom technology in the LeBron 12. This year? One can only imagine what Nike has in store.
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