The Melo M8 Low made its debut during the Knicks victory in Game 4 in their series against the Miami Heat. All elements from the original M8 like Flywire and exposed Air unit. Through Mike Bibby’s website, we got our first detailed look at the M8 Low but no word on release was given so whether they will even release is unknown.

If the Knicks can hold off the Heat for one more game, I’m hearing that Jeremy Lin might be in a condition to suit up to give Bibby some much-needed relief since Shumpart and Davis both out on injury. Another Jordan Brand player is Dwayne Wade…think he’d throw these aside if the chance came up again?

The reflective 3M mesh and single-piece premium leather is dressed in a dark Forest Green while a neon green is used on the strap, midsole, and as the lighter color on the gradient seen on the outside of the sneaker. The light tan laces coordinate with the side branding, hologram on the heel, and triple exposed stitching that Jennings requested always be on his signature sneakers. All of this sits on Under Armour’s Micro G cushioning with a translucent neon green sole to finish the sneaker off.

For the second official signature sneaker for Brandon Jennings, the basketball division of Under Armour created the Bloodline. The sneaker has a great story behind it, looks great, and performs as one of the best basketball sneakers made in the last few years without question.

The ‘St. Patrick’s Day’ Under Armour Bloodline gets added to the already huge list of Bloodline colorways that will not be released in stores so take a look at these detailed pictures instead.

All sneaker media outlets reported that the Li-Ning Turningpoint flagship player Evan Turner wore during the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend was the only Year of the Dragon-inspired sneaker by Li-Ning but we now know it to be the ‘Porcelain Vase’. Along with the Porcelain Vase, is a yellow Turningpoint called the ‘Emperor’s Robe’ made from a pretty regal-looking material more suited for the lining of a royal cape instead of a basketball sneaker but it works here.

In a move no doubt motivated by the balance seen in Chinese culture, Li-Ning gave both their Hero and Villain silhouettes a colorway that draws inspiration from dragons. Known as the ‘Dragon Scale’, both the Li-Ning Hero and Li-Ning Villain have dragon-like qualities seen in the detailing.

No word yet on a official release date but except these to drop on the Li-Ning webstore sometime in April.

Li-Ning Turningpoint – ‘Porcelain Vase’

Li-Ning Turningpoint – ‘Emperor’s Robe’

Li-Ning Hero – ‘Dragon Scale’

Li-Ning Villain – ‘Dragon Scale’

Now in their second year, Li-Ning’s All-Star Media Run has become a great event in itself. Complete with 3-point contest and official refs, the appearances made by celebrities and a rising NBA star just added to the already hyped environment.

Before tip-off, sports analyst Stephen A. Smith was on-hand to address the crowd, giving words of wisdom and career advice while sharing stories about the steps that were taken to get him where he is today. Li-Ning’s flagship player Evan Turner of the Philadelphia 76ers was on-hand to watch and take pictures with whoever asked; a really grounded guy which is increasing rare in this league. Also on display were the Li-Ning Turningpoint – ‘Year of the Dragon’ edition which ET wore during the Rising Stars game Friday night.

Members of the media were divided into two teams: Team Yi and Team Kuang. The Yi team was outfitted in the red jerseys and Li-Ning Turningpoints while Team Kuang wore black and laced up the Li-Ning Villians.

On-hand to provide color commentary throughout the entire game was none other Mike O’Malley of Nickelodeon GUTS past and more recently writer/producer of Shameless which airs on Showtime.

Despite a larger team (both in size and amount), Team Yi (aided by my hustle plays no doubt) pulled out a 8-point win over Team Kuang when the last buzzer sounded. Ren Hsieh, also from Team Yi, took home the title of the first ever Li-Ning ASMR 3-Point Contest.

Aside from coloring different panels of the sneaker, other customization options not seen on other sneaker creating programs are your choice of number on the toebox and NBA team logo for behind the Geofit ankle collar. So far the only two materials available are nubuck and a patent-like material for the collar.

Until now the only other adidas basketball sneaker available for customization through miadidas has been the Crazy Light.

The Air Flight One made my list of Penny Hardaway’s top 10 sneakers and is set to return in a big way this year. Not much is known about where these will drop but since this will be a Quickstrike release and will likely fall on during All-Star Weekend don’t be surprised if they are limited to stores in the Orlando area.