Morning all,

How about some great news right before the weekend? Okay, here we go! It’s what we’ve been waiting for since that fateful first time we all watched Back To The Future II. No, sorry, nobody will be mass producing hover boards. And no, Doc Brown and the DeLorean still haven’t hit 88MPH. But what’s the next best thing? YES! You’re correct! Marty McFly‘s kicks from Back To The Future II are finally coming to the mass public. Sure, in the flick he doesn’t get them until 2015, but I guess we’re a bit ahead of schedule.

(Re) Introducing the Marty McFly Air Mag Shoes!

Earlier this week the press was given a box from Nike with an iPod, some Doc Brown sunglasses and a whole bunch of snacks from 1989 like glass Pepsi bottles, Nerds and Bubble Tape. The iPod contains a message from Doc Brown that says:

“Welcome to Los Angeles. If my calculations are correct, over the next 24 hours you are about to see some SERIOUS SH*T!”

Still no word on when exactly we’ll be able to pick these up, but I’m sure there will be lineups.

Morning all,

So yesterday Nike released their latest LeBron spot and to the smiling faces of sneakerheads and basketball fans everywhere, it was less about selling shoes and more about selling a legacy. I’m not talking about the legacy that is King James, but the legacy of Nike and all they’ve done for the modern lifestyle. It’s not about wearing shiny clothes or talking a big game, it’s about performing and not taking orders.

I like Rise a lot, but not just because it’s glossy. I like this because it’s about LeBron as a man, not just a basketball player and it has meaning beyond his next sneaker. Criticize Nike all you want, but Phil Knight is always one step ahead when it comes to endorsing. Rise is a throwback, an homage and a shiny new toy ready to breakout for the 2011 season.

This is Rise, but to understand the beauty of this ad, check out the clips below:

Sir Charles declares to the world that he is not a Role Model. It starts a movement of the modern athlete’s attitude. Being their own person is the only thing they can be.

LeBron’s Decision is broadcasted across the continent and the world reacts.

Fans take out their frustrations on a jersey and the city of Cleveland switches to damage control mode.

LeBron lands in South Beach and is welcomed by everyone from Dwayne Wade to Don Johnson.

The rest is up to LeBron, but I think the point of Rise is to show people that LeBron is his own man, whether you like it or not. Is this a savvy PR move by the folks over at Nike? Was this coming straight from the horses mouth as a way to show people he’s been reborn? Or is this just another ploy to get you to drop a couple of hundred bucks on a new shoe? I guess we’ll wait and see as the opening tip-off of the 2011 season is tonight.

Being a pseudo-sneakerhead, these caught my eye right away. Although just an artist rendition at this point, they apparently are going to produce these to sell. These customs will only be available through customsnkr.com and with a working Iron Man light in the tongue, you can bet you won’t find them cheap at Payless anytime soon. The kicks look like they will be a variation of an Air Force model with some additional technololgy embedded into the tongue that will allow sneaker fan to either press or fold or do something to make them light up.

Yes. Ridiculous. But Yes. Awesome.

Rivals in real life and puppet form

The Muppets, Sesame Street, various movie characters like Yoda and practically everyone in Dark Crystal, Jim Henson and his brilliant puppets have been in and out of our lives since… Well, before I can remember. But I never really saw this coming. I’m a bit of a basketball junkie, but mostly just the college game; until this year. The NBA Playoffs have been amazing (yeah I just did that) so far. The Chicago-Boston series really got everything off to a good start and now my man D-12 is pummeling his way through LBJ to the Finals. Storylines aside, the marketing for the NBA and Nike have been especially good this playoff season. The Lebron and Kobe Puppet series has been great and the anticipation of where these two will show up next is almost as good as the games themselves. Below you can check out their four aired commercials as well as their brief promo for Sportscenter.