The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne and Matt Welty. This week the guys host Sonny Vaccaro, one of the most influential sneaker marketing executives of all time. He single handedly changed the way sneaker deals were ideated, created, and executed. Sonny Vaccaro was responsible for some of the most impactful deals of all time such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The guys get into how he got his start, his relationship with some of the big brands now, and his thoughts on the sports documentary series, The Last Dance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

REPLAY: Sonny Vaccaro Talks Signing Michael Jordan to Nike and Kobe Bryant to Adidas

The hosts of the Internet’s biggest sneaker shows, Sneaker Shopping and Full Size Run, come together in The Complex Sneakers Podcast. Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Brendan Dunne discuss the most important sneaker news and topics every week, and give their expert opinions that can only be told authentically from Complex.&nbsp;  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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What’s the best Air Jordan model of all time? What are the most important colorways to consider in such a ranking? How much have the best Air Jordans changed through time? Co-hosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty end up on a winding debate on those topics in the latest episode The general consensus is that the S-tier, the most elite of Air Jordans, consists of the Jordan 1, Jordan 3, Jordan 4, and Jordan 11. Also in the episode, the trio discusses the end of Kool Kiy’s Nike lawsuit, the return of the Pro B Dunk, and the knockoff Travis Scott Nikes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's the Best Air Jordan of All Time?

June Ambrose is a costume designer and creative director who’s spent 30 years elevating the style of hip hop icons. She was there with Jay Z since the beginning, she was there when Missy Elliott signed her deal with Adidas, and she was there when Busta Rhymes needed exaggerated visuals to match his energy. In this episode, she relives her long resume, reflects on her Puma work, and dishes out some style advice. Also, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty talk about Jack Harlow’s New Balances, upcoming Nike SB Dunks, and the LeBron James’ potential sneaker for his last season in the NBA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How June Ambrose Helped Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and Busta Become Style Icons

Travis Scott is finally switching up his retro Air Jordans with a new colorway of his Cactus Jack Air Jordan 1 Lows inspired by his high school colors. Does the new palette make the “Elkins” Air Jordan 1 Low his best in a while? In this episode, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty break down the merits of those, LaMelo Ball’s Lanvin Curb/Osiris D3-looking Puma lifestyle shoe, and the 2025 flip on the “Black Cat” Air Jordan 4. They also reveal the hidden layer underneath the A-Cold-Wall x Nike Air Max Plus by breaking down the black pair with a bit of sandpaper. In this no-guest episode, they also catch up on big sneaker news topics like Nike and Bape settling their lawsuit, Adidas’ CEO reflecting on losing the German football team, and Riccardo Tisci’s next collab. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are Travis Scott's Air Jordan 1s Still Good?

Aaron Cooper is a Nike design veteran who worked on genre-defining basketball sneakers for athletes like Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and Scottie Pippen. Cooper started out as Nike’s first design intern in the 90s, ascending from there to influence classics like the Nike Free, Air More Uptempo, and Air Max Plus. Cooper talks about his long resume, his design philosophy, and what he believes is the future of the industry. He also gives updates on his current work with EQLZ and Better Guards. At the top of the episode, Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty anticipate next year’s “Bred” Air Jordan 1 and break their moratorium on the Air Max Dn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aaron Cooper on Designing Nikes for Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, and Kevin Garnett

Drake dissed Kendrick Lamar last week for being a “big stepper” with a size-7 men’s on, but it turns out the bar wasn’t actually factual. As the Rap War of 2024 now includes a footwear-related jab, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty reacted to the line and also talk about the clarification, from sneaker store Rif LA, that Lamar is in fact a few sizes up from that. Also, the co-hosts discuss Nike’s Olympic rollout of its A.I.R. prototypes in Paris, the plan to have less Air Force 1s in the market, and just how good Anthony Edwards’ AE 1 is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

REPLAY: Sonny Vaccaro Talks Signing Michael Jordan to Nike and Kobe Bryant to Adidas

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