So much happened during our trip to the 2018 NBA All Star Weekend in Los Angeles that it was difficult to figure out how to write this blog post. Was it going to be an epic 4 update long series of posts or something much briefer? I settled on the latter because I just can’t imagine that anyone wants to hear every single detail of our trip and besides, it was pretty well documented on Instagram Stories.
Here are my impressions and takeaways from the weekend, some of which you will have seen on those stories and some that have come to me while thinking about it for the past 2 days.
Yeezy on the beach
1. The shoes (on feet)
I didn’t consciously keep track of what everyone was wearing every day we were in LA but I did notice a few trends:
- LOTS of Yeezys. Mostly v2s but a few v1s as well with a smattering of Wave Runners
- LOTS of Off-White. Primarily the Prestos, Vapor Max, AF1s and 97s. Very few Jordan 1s (and no sightings of the new Off-White despite that being everyone’s hope for the weekend)
- The most popular sneaker of the weekend would have to be the Air Max 97. It was everywhere, both ultra and OG, in every colourway and not just hyped ones. There was also a surprising amount of Vapor Max and the hybrids – worn by many different types of people
- What I didn’t see: not too many Ultraboost collaborations/consortium models! I thought there would be lots especially at the 747 Warehouse event
Not a FutureCraft
2. The shoes (for sale)
There were two sneakers I really wanted to get my hands on this weekend (I already had BC3s secured); the Futurecraft 4D and the Free Throw line dunk. I failed at getting both but I somehow don’t feel bad? The weekend was almost overwhelming in terms of the sheer amount of sneakers dropping. We had a detailed list of times and places and still managed to miss things. When there is another shoe you want dropping in a few hours, the Ls hurt a lot less (but remind me I said this when the Atmos Air Max and Wotherspoons drop).
One of the best parts of All Star Weekend is just walking around and seeing so many people with bags of sneakers in hand – not just one big release either. So many shoes from every brand every day. It created an energy around the weekend that was pretty special.
Outside the main event
3. The official events
We didn’t actually go to any official events (like most people in town that weekend). Instead we found a place near the stadium and watched with a bunch of people wearing jerseys from every team, going nuts with every play or dunk or 3-point shot. I heard people saying that they didn’t like the dunk contest but I can tell you that watching it in the bar we was amazing and everyone was into it. Same thing with the game itself. Every Uber driver (and we took so.many.ubers.) wanted to talk about basketball and the Lakers and the Clippers and the Raptors. I would have loved to be at the official events but looking back, I don’t have a single regret.
4. The unofficial events
Probably I don’t have any regrets because we went to so many other events (thanks to Under Armour, Adidas and Foot Locker Canada). Its hard to feel bad about a weekend where you got to stand under the lights in Hollywood next to James Harden, or meet Donovan Mitchell and congratulate him on his big win, or watch Snoop Dog win his basketball tournament and walk through the crowd holding his trophy high. It was so much fun every single day and we felt lucky to be part of it.
Hype Less 