Tomorrow, the Marquette women’s basketball team will host its seventh annual ‘Pink Out’ to support breast cancer awareness. The game is part of the greater ‘Play 4 Kay’ initiative, which over 1000 schools (no idea how the number is that high) will participate in to raise funds and awareness for women’s cancers. The Golden Eagles are also one of a number of schools that will sport special gear to coincide with the event; as such, check out the Play 4 Kay Marquette pink uniforms (and matching pink Zoom Hyperenforcer) below the cut, and make sure to look for the uniforms tomorrow, when Marquette hosts Pitt.

'Play 4 Kay' Marquette Pink Uniforms

Today’s #KobeSystem Level 5 lesson taught you how to dominate things like waffles, retirement, breakfast and iambic pentameter. But there are basketball concepts to be dominated as well, such as the pump-fake. Check out this diagram (full, click-to-enlarge image below the cut) giving you a simple breakdown, courtesy of Beef and the folks at Nike Basketball.

#KobeSystem Learn to Pump-Fake

To help raise cancer awareness as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative, four Jordan Brand schools — Marquette, Georgetown, UNC, Cal — will don pink Jordan Brand shoes, including the Air Jordan 8.0, Jordan CP3.V and the as-yet unreleased Jordan Play in These II. While all are pretty good looks, and the altruistic motivation is a nice excuse for dudes to wear pink, we’re not expecting to see these at retail anytime soon. However, look for Jordan schools to wear them throughout January.

Beef’s game is the model of versatility, being that, with the utmost ease, he can back his man down, slash through the lane, or knock down jumpers. For that reason, the Nike Zoom Kobe VII was designed to offer plenty of versatility, including “attack strong” and “attack fast” removable midsoles which offer two completely different experiences for two different types of player. In the new Nike Zoom Kobe VII ‘Adaptation’ ad, Kobe demonstrates the different rides. Check it out in its entirety under the cut.

The 2012 Summer Olympics are mere months away, and with the reemergence of USA Basketball as the heavy favorite at the Games, what better showcase for some classic hoops footwear. Set to release around the same time that the Olympics get under way, the Nike Basketball USA Olympics pack will feature four timeless models that resonate heavily with fans of USA Basketball, including Scottie Pippen’s Nike Air More Uptempo, the Nike Shox BB4 (the shoe Vince Carter wore when jumping over Frederic Weis), the Air Force 180 and the Air Zoom Huarache 2K4, all colored in US/Olympics colors. Hit the jump for looks at each and stick with NikeBlog for release details for this exceptional set of releases. Photos via aaronknows.keedan.com

Ever wonder what it’s like to Dwyane Wade’s flight? The new Jordan ‘This is Flight’ ad, showcasing his second signature shoe, the Jordan Fly Wade 2, gives you an idea of how exactly he gets that kind of elevation. Another outstanding commercial for Jordan Brand, which seems to have home run after home run.

The Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011 has only been out for a few months, but today we’re already giving you the first look at the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2012, release date expected for … 2012. The third flagship ‘Hyperfuse’-named model, this one sports a similar sole to its predecessors, but the upper is a significant departure. Unlike the first two Hyperfuses, which featured similar looks, the aesthetic on this shoe is a significant departure, opting for a more LeBron 9-shaped silhouette, with visible mesh in various spots through the mid- and forefoot and a more solid construction around the ankle. An oversized Swoosh across the side finishes the look, a stark contrast to the small logo that graced the Hyperfuse 2011. Check out sixteen colorways below the jump. Photos via aaronknows.keedan.com

Clearly Kevin Durant has a passion for the game of basketball, hence his playing in seemingly a different park or league every week during the early-lockout period. But does that passion run deep enough for him to drive around in a van throughout the night trying to find pickup games? Well, if this commercial is to be believed … yes. Hit the jump for the full ad. Entertaining and well worth a minute of your time. The Nike Zoom KD IV is now available for pre-order.

There are plenty of reasons that LeBron James and Kevin Durant are among the best basketball players on the face of the earth. It certainly doesn’t hurt that, despite there being no foreseeable beginning to the NBA season, they’re in the University of Akron gym every day practicing like it was midseason. Hit the jump to check out a bit of their routine in “Striving for Greatness,” episode 2.

Contest time! I’m preparing for a fairly long drive down to Palo Alto, so I’ve thought of something to keep you occupied while the updates are sparse. I have a copy of NBA 2K12 for Nintendo Wii to give away. Here’s all you need to do (and yes, I copied the idea from a popular tech website):

1) “Like” the NikeBlog Facebook page. If you don’t like it, you can’t win.

2) Now do one of the following:
-Retweet this post by hitting the “Tweet” button above. (Make sure it includes the #NikeBlog hashtag.)
-Or comment below with your favorite Nike/Jordan shoe. (To be honest it doesn’t have to be your favorite, I’ll never know.)

That’s it. I’ll pick the winner probably on Monday, November 14th, but no later than Tuesday, and as long as they provide me with a valid shipping address that day, NBA 2K12 for Wii is theirs. Enjoy the contest, and read my review of the game here.

On Friday night, in the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic in San Diego, aboard the USS Carl Vinson, we’ll get our first live look of the Michigan State camo uniforms. (And the North Carolina camo uniforms, for that matter.) But you don’t have to wait until Friday, as we’re serving up a preview video for you today. Hit the jump for the full film of Spartans players trying on the camo MSU uniforms for the first time, and their thoughts on the look.

On Saturday, November 12th, Oregon State will host Cal State Bakersfield in the 2nd Annual Nike N7 Game presented by Spirit Mountain Casino. And for the second year in a row, we’ll get to see the rather unique turquoise Oregon State uniform, the color symbolizing friendship and community in the Native American community. Hit the jump to see a little teaser video for the game, and let us know if you’re feeling the jerseys. (Picture is from last year.)


From Nike:

Nike N7 is Nike’s commitment to bring sport and all its benefits to Native American and Aboriginal communities in North America through the N7 Fund, Nike N7 collection and Nike N7 program for Native communities across the U.S. and Canada.

With the lockout in full effect, Nike Basketball continues reminding us that there’s more to basketball than just the NBA. Check out their latest spots, “Basketball Never Stops,” featuring basketball in all its forms and including appearances by several NBAers including Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki. Fantastic video, perhaps even the equal of the recent (and also fantastic) Jordan Brand ad, “Love the Game.”

As mentioned yesterday, North Carolina and Michigan State face off on November 11th in the first ever (probably) college basketball game on an aircraft carrier, specifically the USS Carl Vinson. For the game, each team will wear special edition camouflage uniforms, to pay tribute to our armed forces and, presumably, to look cool. (They do.) Michigan State’s camo jerseys were debuted yesterday, and today we get our first look at the North Carolina camo uniforms. They feature the typical UNC template—university blue torso, argyle print-adorned white piping up the sides—with added tonal camouflage print to all the blue areas, except for a solid blue aeorgraphic across the back, and “USA” where the name typically appears. I’ll surely post another couple shots of the camo UNC uniforms once we have better photos, but in the meantime hit the jump for one more (blurry) look.

North Carolina Camo Uniforms

I’ll keep the post short, to match the limited view the picture allows, but this is the Michigan State camo jersey, which the Spartans will wear November 11th when they play North Carolina on the USS Carl Vinson, a naval aircraft carrier presently docked in San Diego. We’ll share more when we have a full preview of the camo Michigan State uniform (North Carolina’s too, perhaps), but in the meantime enjoy the photo.