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June’s best sneaker drops: Your guide to this month’s must-have releases
From the return of Prime Time to Kobe Bryant’s kicks getting massive love to Asics bringing the rain, June has a bit of everything for everybody
Our monthly series looks at the top releases from the best brands in athletic footwear. Whether you’re an avid sneakerhead or just looking for the perfect pair to complement your style, navigating the vast world of sneakers can be overwhelming. From understanding where to buy to decoding the latest trends, consider this your road map to finding the perfect pair.
Every year, people try to jump from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day and ignore everything in between. When it comes to sneakers, everybody is trying to treat June like the lead-up to Christmas.
May was packed full of big-name collabs and releases to kick off the summer season, and July looks to be a massive month with Olympic-themed releases. June is in between two holiday months but still has plenty to offer. From a WNBA star’s new signature shoe to New Balance continuing its impressive run to Adidas’ first entry in this series, plus the return of a shoe we thought would never see the light of day again, it’s clear that June is not a skippable month.
To paraphrase Outkast: “June got something to say.”
A Kobe that’s not a Nike
Adidas
Before joining the swoosh and releasing some of the best basketball shoes, young Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was making waves at Adidas. Many of those young Kobe highlights we all know and love, Bryant accomplished in Adidas.
The KB8 2 was one of the models with which Kobe made his name. It now returns as the Crazy 98 “Lakers Home.” If there’s an Adidas basketball shoe that fits the ’90s aesthetic, this is it.
A white mesh upper featuring synthetic leather overlays with just enough purple to fit the NBA’s dress code for shoes to match team colors shows how a simple design can be more than enough. This shoe is undoubtedly a must-have for Kobe fans and collectors.
Release date: June 1
Retail price: $150
Adidas moves into the NEIGHBORHOOD
Adidas
Japanese streetwear brand NEIGHBORHOOD returns with another joint offering with Adidas. Last year, they created their take on one of Adidas’ newer models, the NMD S1. Now, the brand tackles one of the most iconic silhouettes in sneakers, the Adidas Superstar.
Keeping things clean and straightforward, the Superstar is primarily cement grey, with white hits highlighting the accents, such as the iconic skull and swords logo that NEIGHBORHOOD uses and the “craft with pride” on the heel tab.
Release date: June 1
Retail price: $160
One for the ‘Girl Dads’
Nike
Nike
A few of the more charming things many people learned about the post-playing career of Bryant was his deep appreciation for women’s basketball and how the sport created a bond between him and his daughter Gianna. The upcoming Nike Kobe 4 Protro “Girl Dad” pulls its inspiration from the widely recognized courtside moment shared between father and daughter, the bicoastal green drawing from his knit hat, the orange insoles inspired by his hoodie and the “Girl Dad” print on the tongue taken from the phrase popularized after Bryant’s death.
Release date: June 7
Retail price: $190
A perfect pink pair
Nike
Originally released exclusively in Japan in 2001, the “Linen” Nike Air Force 1 brings back warm feelings of a time when buying shoes required access more than cash. Finding these in order to buy them was an exercise in navigating sneaker messageboards, sites written in languages other than English, and excruciatingly long shipping times, as items took weeks to arrive from Asia. But they were worth it since the color combo was unfamiliar (in a good way), and the materials used at that time were splendid.
Now, it’s 2024, and anyone can buy them with an internet connection and a credit card.
Release date: June 13
Retail price: $135
Asics keeps things light and fun
Asics
The ASICS GEL-Kayano is one of the most iconic silhouettes in running. Mark Ong aka SBTG decided to go to the GEL-Kayano and simplify things while being creative. The vanilla and black colorways feature a silicon flood guard over the bottom half of the shoe’s upper and a removable “monsoon patrol” lace shroud to tie in and complete the wet weather theme.
Release date: June 15
Retail price: $222
Live and in Prime Time
Nike
If you ask most sneakerheads if they thought they would ever see the return of Colorado coach Deion Sanders’ Nike signature shoes, the answer would have been no. Given the history between Nike and Sanders when he said he would never work with the brand again, it seemed far-fetched that we would see the shoe, and if we did, it would be similar to Adidas’ Kobe Bryant models.
Now that Nike and Sanders have made amends, we can own arguably the best shoe made for a football athlete since former pro baseball and football athlete Bo Jackson’s Air Trainer II.
The Nike Air Diamond Turf Max ’96 returns for the first time since 2013. Featuring a white leather upper partially covered in black nubuck to create a ripped or torn appearance paired with a maize-colored swoosh, it is a shoe that is as subtle yet in your face as Sanders was.
Release date: June 16
Retail price: $170
Nina Chanel serves shades of green
When it comes to a Jordan Brand and Nina Chanel collab, you can guarantee that there will be a creative use of textures. The artist and painter’s upcoming Jordan 3 showcases just that by using suede and canvas on the upper, which features malachite-colored greens paired with a fossil midsole and rope laces to create a visually appealing and unique pair that will genuinely be different due to the materials the shoe uses.
Paired with a unique “Nike Air” heel tab that could easily be one of Mr. FlowerFantastic’s creations, this is another solid entry from Chanel and the Jumpman.
Release date: June 20
Retail price: $225
An OG Jordan returns
Nike
Jordan Brand has been slowly releasing classic colorways over the past few years. In particular, it has released colors and models from the Jordan 1 “Metallic Pack.”
The metallic burgundy colorway is the latest pair released from the metallic pack. Simple, clean white leather is paired with a burgundy red swoosh, collar, and outsole. This release also includes the shoe returning with the 1985 design specifications, which include a higher collar and cut than the usual Jordan 1 high releases.
Release date: June 22
Retail price: $200
A Kobe that’s not a Kobe
Nike
That was the reception to New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s debut shoe, the Sabrina 1. From the looks to how the shoe played, it felt like one of Bryant’s Nike signature shoes. The Sabrina 2 takes that feeling and clarifies that Ionescu’s relationship with Bryant inspired the shoe.
Combining a solid black embroidered upper with purple accents on top of a predominantly white midsole creates a look that allows the shoe to be an eye-catcher on and off the court. Add in Nike Zoom Air and Cushlon 3.0 in the forefoot and midsole, and you have the perfect setup for a shoe that can be comfortable both on and off the basketball court.
Release date: June 28
Retail price: $130
An updated take on an Adidas hoops classic
Adidas
The Crazy IIInfinity is unique shoe because while it’s obvious that it’s meant to be a spiritual, if not lineal, successor to the Crazy 1 that Bryant made famous during the 2000 NBA playoffs, it’s classified as an Adidas Original lifestyle release instead of being marketed as a basketball shoe.
The latest colorway takes full advantage of the shoe’s minimalistic design by using shades of white to highlight those design elements. The breathable mesh upper and shroud are the primary focus, as the use of chalk white that started in the midsole gives way to the laces and tongue underneath, unlike previous models.
Release date: June (TBD)
Retail price: $160
New Balance stays ‘Made in USA’
New Balance
In May, we discussed the Teddy Santis’ versions of the 993. This month, the brand returns with a 993 that doesn’t have a collaboration attached but is equally good.
Starting with the shoe’s sole, New Balance carefully builds this pair of 993 to make the most of a simple colorway. A gum bottom sole gives way to another two-tone midsole that seamlessly pairs sea salt white with regular white, providing a contrast with the sole. A white mesh-backed upper of sea salt white with black accents completes the shoe and provides a perfect summer shoe that goes with everything.
Again, we’re bending the rules a bit here because the shoe was released in May. However, the release date was just confirmed, and the shoe is still available in plenty of sizes.
Release date: May 31
Retail price: $220
Not your dad’s boring gray shoes
New Balance
Rapper and chef Action Bronson tends to go colorful with his New Balance collaborations – the “Baklava” and “Lapis Lazuli” New Balance 990v6s turned heads from last year. The “Rosewater” New Balance 1906R follows the same script, using a blast of colors while taking advantage of the silhouette’s various materials and overlays to produce one lively shoe.
Release date: May 31
Retail price: $185