On Thursday, August 12, NIKE, Inc. will bring together the world of sport and entertainment in an unprecedented way as one of basketball’s most prestigious teams shares the stage with one of the world’s greatest entertainers. Music mogul and multi-platinum selling recording artist JAY-Z will take the stage at New York’s Radio City Music Hall for an electrifying musical performance following a one-of-a-kind, on-court showcase featuring finalists for the 2010 USA Basketball World Championship Team as part of the inaugural World Basketball Festival – brought together by Converse, the Jordan Brand and Nike Basketball.

The entire Radio City Music Hall basketball and musical performance will stream live on http://www.facebook.com/wbf beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT until its conclusion. Following the event at Radio City Music Hall, highlights will be available online at NBA.com and USABasketball.com.

In addition to his performance at Radio City Music Hall, JAY-Z has joined forces with Nike to create an iconic collection of Air Force Ones – the All Black Everything collection inspired by the World Basketball Festival. Nike has donated the shoes to the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation who in turn have linked up with eBay on a charity auction where the five unique pairs will raise funds for its mission to provide financial assistance to promising individuals upon acceptance into any accredited institution of higher learning.

One hundred percent of the funds raised will support the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. The charity auction begins on August the 12, and bidders can visit http://www.ebay.com/jayznikewbf to enter a bid. Only two pairs of each of the five designs will be created, one for the winning bidder and one for the man behind the design, JAY-Z. The charity auction begins on August 12, at 9:00 a.m. EDT and ends on August 22, at 9:00 a.m. EDT.

Info/Image: HypeBeast

The upcoming Nike SB Dunk High Premium “Skunk” was unveiled yesterday and is already one of the most talked-about sneakers of this entire year. Its inspiration makes you wanna giggle and not just because it’s ironic to see the Swoosh push the envelope in this direction. Turns out that one of our particularly astute readers was on the right track when he commented “Bratrud does it again.” That’s because today, with these new images, it’s been revealed that this is the latest design from longtime Nike SB collaborator Todd Bratrud. Take a look at the various shades of green suede you will be getting when these drop in April, presumably right around the 20th. Combined with purple accents and a hidden stash pocket under the tongue.

Info/Image: STREEThing

Is this upcoming Nike Dunk SB under the Witness Protection Program? First off, the “Chirping Bird” name has been changed. This upcoming Quickstrike has been renamed to Larry Perkins, the name of the skater that inspired the colourway. Secondly, the Larry Perkins Nike Dunk SB underwent a transplant as the Chirping Bird mechanism as been replaced by one that makes telephone ringing sounds, as Larry Perkins was known to be dialing up other skate-pros and magazines. The overall design, colourway and material use remains, but the identity has seen a vast alteration. These are expected to drop on March 20th at select Nike SB retailers, so have your local Nike SB spot on speed dial and lock down your pair.

Info/Image: Martini Skate and Snow

Nike is always on time with its holiday-themed colourways of the timeless Nike Air Force 1, and with St. Patrick´s Day coming soon, this newly released all-green pair will be waiting for us at the end of the rainbow. This 2010 rendition of the Nike Air Force 1 St. Patty´s Day seems devoid of any graphics of lucky charms, but the color Lucky Green is proof enough. Green upper and bottom sole, white midsole and swoosh: With this simple colourway, it seems luck was on our side.

Tech Info:
Nike Air Force 1 Low ‘07 “Lucky Green/White”
Style: 315122-300
Color: Lucky Green/White

Info/Image: Dunk.com.cn

When it rains it pours, so two AJKO updates today means we finally get to take a close up look at this pair from all angles. The Nike Air Jordan 1 AJKO could not be any better at fusing the 1985 hidden gem with modern styling.  And that is because aside from the vintage detailing, these white and red AJKOs are true to form with their canvas uppers. They drop in April, but you can see more photos by checking out that link.

Tech Info:
Nike Air Jordan 1 AJKO “White/Varsity Red”
Style: 402297-161
Color: White/Varsity Red

Info/Image: Kicks Lab Blog

Sometimes, it is the unexpected colourways that make for the hottest releases. This time last year, nobody would have even imagined how hot the Nike Air Griffey Max 1 in marina blue and cool grey turned out to be. We have seen plenty of Griffeys with teal accents, but that particular combination is just magical.

Such is the case with the latest Nike Air Jordan 1 Phat hightop. These thick-tongued Nike Air Jordan 1´s certainly are not the first Jays to mix white, black and yellow (Thunder/Lightning), but the way it is done on this pair is straight up masterful. You have got a white overlay atop a grey base to ensure they do not overtake your outfit, but the yellow laces and stitching look excellent with the simple base. Expect these to hit Jordan Brand retailers soon, as they are now available.

Tech Info:
Nike Air Jordan 1 Retro Phat “White/Medium Grey–Vibrant Yellow”
Style: 364770-101
Color: White/Medium Grey-Light Bone-Vibrant Yellow

Info/Image: Dunk.com.cn

The Nike Air Jordan Alpha 1 has been seen on some of Jordan Brand´s best NBA players, but the whole point of this shoe is to go back to Chicago, circa 1985. That is where you will find a supremely smooth new colourway of the Nike Air Jordan Alpha 1. The white overlay is perforated on the toe and side panels to reveal a black underlay and polka dot-like visual that nicely blends the high-contrast palette. These will hit Jordan Brand retailers in the near future, so stick with NewKicksOnTheBlog for updates.

Tech Info:
Nike Air Jordan Alpha 1 “White/Black-Varsity Red”
Style: 392813-104
Color: White/Black-Varsity Red

Info/Image: Dunk.com.cn

The white and red AJKO pictured above will hit retailers in April, and considering how rare this once-in-a-quarter-century retro really is, this just makes them seem even more magical. They have a really nice vintage look thanks to a slightly greyed upper and yellowed midsole, and hopefully we will have more opportunities to examine them between now and then.

Info/Image: Gallery2