Sneaker of the Week: Nike Foamposite Lite Kryptonate

bradwellen@precioustimeny.com

Anyone who follows the New York Knicks knows that there are really just two days in the entire calendar year that a fan can look forward to with any true optimism – the NBA Draft and the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest (notice how I couldn’t just generalize this to say “All-Star Weekend” because the Knicks haven’t had a player voted into the All-Star game since 2001 when Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell were selected).  One reason why I, along with many others, still remain somewhat down with the Orange and the Blue is the exciting, high-energy play of Knicks guard Nate Robinson (even though Nate is currently paying rent in Coach Mike D’Antoni’s doghouse).  Those who know Nate understand that in many cases, even in key situations on the court, he is an entertainer first and a ballplayer second and the 2009 Slam Dunk Contest in Phoenix was the grandest stage of his career.

Besides the actual NBA All-Star Game, every NBA fan knows that the Slam Dunk Contest held on Saturday night of the All-Star Weekend is the most exciting event of the entire weekend and last year was no different as we saw more props and drama than ever before with 6’10” man child Dwight Howard and the 5’9” Nasty Nate dueling it out. Howard, the 2008 dunk champion, once again came out in character with his Superman costume while Nate Robinson brought out his Kryptonate Nike Foamposite Lite’s with a matching green t-shirt and green Knicks jersey. Needless to say Robinson’s Kryptonite was too much for Howard’s Man of Steel theatrics as Nate used Dwight as a prop and dunked over the big man’s head to lock up his second Slam Dunk title since 2006.

The upper portion of the Kryptonates, feature a polyurethane construction with synthetic covering wraps and have a gradient design that fades from green to yellow with green more towards the top and heel fading to yellow as it goes towards the front and bottom of the sneakers.  The sleekest feature on these kicks is the Superman-style Kryptonate logo on the outer side of the sneakers, near the heel of the shoe.  Nate made dunk contest magic happen in these kicks and since kryptonite is such a rare, explosive element, these green gems sell for $600 and are nearly impossible to find anywhere but Osneaker.com.