Week 12 of Kicks Through the Lens saw a great variety of shoes from Jordan 35’s, to Currys, Kobes, Kyries, and Hardens. The second half of the season is officially under way and teams are looking to firmly establish themselves for playoff contention. Jordan Brand athletes seem to never run out of P.E. mockups of the Air Jordan XXXV. Steph Curry’s 8th signature model, the Curry Flow 8, is slowly gaining momentum as more creative colorways pop up. Kobe models will always be a staple among NBA players, both in OG form and Protro form. The Kyrie 7 doesn’t seem to have the same mass-appeal that the 4’s, 5’s, and 6’s had – as Nike seems to be saving the best colorways for Irving himself. Scroll below to see this week’s countdown from the NBA.

10. Adidas Harden Vol. 5 P.E. – James Harden

9. Jordan XXXV P.E. – Luka Dončić

8. Nike Kobe 11 Elite Low “Ghost of Christmas Past” – DeMar DeRozan

7. Nike Kobe 9 Elite “What The Kobe” – Ja Morant

6. Nike Kyrie 7 P.E. – Kyrie Irving

5. Nike Kobe 7 “All Star – Galaxy” – Torrey Craig

4. Jordan XXXV P.E. – Rui Hachimura

3. Nike Kobe 6 Protro P.E. – Devin Booker

2. Nike Kyrie 7 P.E. – Kyrie Irving

1. Curry Flow 8 “Birthday” – Steph Curry

This week’s countdown will feature sneakers from regular season games as well as pairs worn during All-Star weekend. LeBron James and Nike have just recently partnered with Florida A&M University on a multi-year sponsorship deal. LBJ rocked a new pair of LeBron 18’s this past week in a FAMU-inspired green and orange colorway. This player-exclusive iteration got much fanfare on social media and have sneaker enthusiasts clamoring for a retail release.

All-Star weekend saw Nike, Jordan Brand, Curry Brand, Adidas, New Balance, etc. all bring out new colorways for their star athletes. Some models were flashy and vibrant while others left us guessing and wanting more creativity. Giannis Antetokounmpo took home MVP honors wearing a mismatched colorway of his Zoom Freak 2’s. Steph Curry won the 3-PT Contest sporting a new color scheme of his Curry 8’s. Chris Paul honored numerous HBCU schools on his CP3.XIII’s. Scroll below to see who made the cut for this week’s Kicks Through the Lens.

10. Jordan Why Not Zer0.4 P.E. – Russell Westbrook

9. Nike Kobe 3 “Prelude” – DeMar DeRozan

8. Jordan XXXV “UNC P.E.” – P.J. Tucker

7. Nike PG 5 “All-Star” – Paul George

6. Nike Kyrie 7 “All-Star” – Kyrie Irving

5. Curry Flow 8 “International Women’s Day” – Steph Curry

4. Jordan XXXV P.E. – Jayson Tatum

3. Jordan CP3.XIII “HBCU Inspired” P.E.’s – Chris Paul

2. Nike Zoom Freak 2 “Play for the Future” – Giannis Antetokounmpo

1. Nike LeBron 18 “FAMU P.E.” – LeBron James

Never thought we’d see a week like this in Kicks Through the Lens but not one Kobe Protro model made the Top 10 this week. Sometimes it’s nice to have even a little more variety. Customs, iD’s, and PE’s headline week 10’s countdown. This week also features the most brands we have shown so far this year for a single week. Jordan, Nike, Reebok, Adidas, and Converse all made their way into the list. We’re not going to waste any more of your time and just get right into it.

10. Converse All Star BB Evo P.E. – Kelly Oubre Jr.

9. Adidas D.O.N. Issue #2 P.E. – Donovan Mitchell

8. Nike PG 3 “UCONN P.E.” (Home & Away) – Paul George

7. Jordan XXXV P.E. – LaMarcus Aldridge

6. Nike Kobe 10 “Girls EYBL” – Tobias Harris

5. Nike Kobe 9 Elite “NOLA Gumbo League” – Ja Morant

4. Jordan Why Not Zer0.4 P.E. – Russell Westbrook

3. Reebok Question Mid (Custom) – Montrezl Harrell

2. Adidas Dame 7 x Ric Flair – Damian Lillard

1. 2010 Nike Kobe 5 iD – Trey Lyles

So far the dunk of the year, and one of the best dunks of the past decade, was done in a pair of Adidas. Timberwolves rookie, Anthony Edwards, sent shock waves through social media this past week with one of the most ruthless posterizations we have ever seen. Damian Lillard said, “It must’ve been the shoes,” as Edwards was sporting some Adidas Dame 7’s during the throw down. Montrezl Harrell continues to be the face of Reebok basketball, digging into the archives to rock old models and even debuting an all-new model as well. Will Reebok and Harrell be able to get any other NBA stars to join the team?

Tobias Harris also broke the internet this past week. Harris saw all the sick Kobe 6 PE’s that DeRozan and Tucker were wearing and he wanted in. The Philadelphia 76er took keys from a past Kobe colorway to inspire the PE he wore on court. Once again Nike, is it too much to ask for Kobe models to be put on Nike By You (Nike iD) again? Scroll below to see who made the Top 10 in this week’s list of Kicks Through the Lens.

10. 2008 Reebok Answer 11 “All-Star” – Montrezl Harrell

9. Adidas Harden Vol. 5 “ASU” – James Harden

8. Nike Kyrie 7 iD – Gabe Vincent

7. Jordan XXXV P.E. – Carmelo Anthony

6. Nike Kobe 9 Elite High “FTB” – Ja Morant

5. Under Armour Curry 8 P.E. – Steph Curry

4. Adidas Dame 7 “Day of the Dead” – Anthony Edwards

3. Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Kay Yow” – John Wall

2. Nike Kyrie 7 P.E. – Kyrie Irving

1. Nike Kobe 6 Protro P.E. – Tobias Harris

It seems to be the year of the LeBron 11 all over again. LeBron James is, more often than not, choosing to wear anything but his new 18th model. LBJ has been seen sporting his Ambassador line, and most recently some 15’s and 16’s. LeBron has done this in the past before, back during the run of his 11th model, when he hardly wore them on court all season. Ja Morant continues to sport high(er) cut Kobes on the hardwood. Will Morant go back to low-cut Kobes for the 2021-22 season?

Let’s just get right into it. Here’s the top 10 Kicks Through the Lens for week 8.

10. Nike Zoom Freak 1 “Space Jam” Custom – Robert Covington

9. Nike Kobe 1 Protro “MPLS” – Ja Morant

8. Nike Kobe 10 Elite “Opening Night” – Ja Morant

7. Nike PG 4 “Oregon P.E.” – Payton Pritchard

6. Nike Kobe 11 Elite iD – Dwayne Bacon

5. Nike Kobe 6 Protro P.E. – DeMar DeRozan

4. Nike Kobe 5 Protro P.E. – Malik Monk

3. Nike LeBron 15 P.E. – LeBron James

2. Nike LeBron 15 “Griffey” – LeBron James

1. Nike Kobe 1 Protro “Noise Cancelling” – Ja Morant