Nike won’t be releasing an NBA All-Star pack this year

Nike Basketball won’t be releasing an NBA All-Star pack of its signature shoes this year, eschewing recent tradition. Instead, the only new Nike releases, so to speak, will actually come from Jordan Brand.

Jordan is a subsidiary of Nike but they typically release separate theme packs, sign separate athletes, and aren’t above throwing shade, like in this Jordan Brand commercial featuring Russell Westbrook that takes a shot at former teammate Kevin Durant.

Jordan Brand announced that it will release All-Star colorways of three signature silhouettes: the Air Jordan I, the Jordan VI, and the Jordan XXXI.

So where’s Nike Basketball at? For years, All-Star Weekend was when the line released some it’s most sought after shoes. People would camp out at malls days ahead of the releases and resale value on the shoes usually proved worth the investment.

In recent years, the hype around the signature releases has died down. Also, the All-Star game moving from Charlotte back to New Orleans means that Nike can recycle the special designs they used three years ago. Sneaker News has an in-depth look at why Nike made this decision.

Nike Basketball’s All-Star Weekends were sneakerhead must-haves for a reason. Three years ago, Nike Basketball delivered the Gumbo League Pack. The pack consisted of the Nike LeBron 11, the Kobe 9, and the KD VI, shown below.

That collection didn’t quite have the hype surrounding it that 2012’s All-Star Galaxy Pack did. Before this rollout, All-Star Player Exclusives had been a thing and Nike would release All-Star versions of their signature All-Stars’ shoes, but this had the best tie-in of a central theme not revolving around basketball itself.

Note: Despite the tweet, this was in fact the 2012 pack. The pièce de résistance of the pack was the “Galaxy” version of the Nike Air Foamposite One. Oh. My. Goodness.

This pack got followed up with the “Area 72” pack in 2013 and the “Gumbo League” pack in 2014. The 2015 pack was inspired by New York’s architecture, where the game was being held, and last season’s pack had an international flair as All-Star Weekend left the United States for the first time.

It’s a bummer that there won’t be an All-Star pack this year. The Jordan pack is fresh, but there was something special about watching Nike roll out their themed releases the last few years. It was just the right mix of effective advertising and dope kicks.

Sneakerheads, don’t worry though, Nike is still dropping a great theme pack this month. They recently announced their annual Black History Month pack.