Nike Basketball 2014 Christmas Collection

With the holiday season in full swing, Nike Basketball unveils another festive collection of Christmas-themed footwear for three of the brand's signature athletes. Read on for what Nike has to say regarding the design inspirations for the latest round of holiday shoes Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant will be wearing on their Christmas day games.

Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low "Beethoven"

Shortly after the release of the "Michael Jackson" low-cut Kobe 9 Elites last month, another colorway taking its inspiration from a musical icon is about to make its way to stores. Somehow using Ludwig Van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony as a jump-off point, this Kobe 9 Elite Low weaves white, wolf grey, and black Flyknit together to create a clean upper that sits flush on a speckled and carbon-fiber outfitted midsole. The look is timeless, just like the quality of Beethoven's music. And given the mix of neutral colors, these shoes are primed to look good both on and off the hardwood.

Are you prepping an Ode to Joy dedicated to this forthcoming release? Well you won't have to wait long, as they're slated to hit Titan stores and those of select Nike Basketball retailers tomorrow, August 16th.

Check out more looks after the jump.

Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low "Michael Jackson" & "Beethoven"

Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Kobe Bryant has yet to hit the hardwood in the Kobe 9, but it looks like fans of The Black Mamba will be treated to another version of Kobe Bryant's latest sneaker.

First seen as a super-exclusive HTM release that only dropped at select stores in Italy, the low top Nike Kobe 9 Elites will be returning to retail with a more widespread release. A few design tweaks have been made for the new release, but their form remains pretty close to the HTM drop. Pictured here are the first two offerings that take their inspiration from two different musical icons.

Utilizing a hyper grape Flyknit base complemented by black and silver accents, the Kobe 9 Elite Low "Michael Jackson" pays tribute to the King of Pop. Finishing off the design is a translucent outsole featuring a graphic of the moon's surface so you can bust out a moonwalk wherever you go.

In contrast to the flashy upper of the "Michael Jackson" Elites, the "Beethoven" Kobe 9s feature a more subdued design composed primarily of black and white Flyknit. It's a fitting nod to the legendary composer and the timeless quality of his work.

The "Michael Jackson" Elites are slated to release on July 12th while the "Beethovens" will drop on August 16th at Nike.com and select Nike basketball retailers. No local release info has come down the pipeline as of yet, but given the popularity of the Kobe 9 in the country, it makes great business sense to drop these at local stores. And given how the EM lows are priced at P8495, and the Elite highs are P9995, the pricing should be a nice little middle point between the two other versions.

Check out more pictures of both shoes after the jump.

Nike Basketball Elite Series Gold Collection

For every NBA team that finds themselves in the playoff race, the glory of championship gold is sixteen grueling games away.

Taking inspiration from what every NBA baller chases in the postseason (except for Kobe Bryant of course), Nike Basketball has unveiled the Elite Series Gold Collection - championship worthy footwear designed for Nike Basketball's big three.

Nike Kobe 9 Elite Low HTM.

H. T. M.

In the sneaker world, those three letters spell out a huge collaboration between three of the sneaker industry's most creative minds. Fragment Design Founder Hiroshi Fujiwara, Nike Chief Innovator Tinker Hatfield, and Nike CEO Mark Parker come together once again, this time for a low-top, Flyknit version of the Nike Kobe 9 Elite.

And once again, the trio does not disappoint. Hit the jump for pictures of the other colorways and a detailed press release regarding the nature of the shoe and the HTM collaboration. Good luck finding these though. As with any HTM release, numbers are extremely limited. So if you've got connects in Italy, particularly the Milan area, better hit them up before it's too late.

Will The Nike Kobe 9 Hype Train Slow Down?

The Masterpiece

The amount of hype that led up to the Kobe 9 Elite has been incredible. Leading up to the release of the Kobe 9 Elite was the Kobe Prelude Pack, an amazing collection of shoes that drew inspiration from art and pivotal moments in The Black Mamba's career. And for the most part, it looks like the hype has paid off, with resale values skyrocketing for all shoes in the Prelude Pack, as well as the first two Kobe 9 colorways.

"Maestro/Devotion"

As of today, two styles of the Kobe 9 Elite have hit the Philippines, and both have sold out in stores. The first to drop was the "Masterpiece", a stunning high top that sports a beautiful multicolor tapestry of a upper made out of Nike's Flyknit material. And a few hours ago, the NBA All-Star Game release known as the "Maestro" sold out as well. In terms of sales, things are looking good for the Kobe line, despite Vino not having played a single NBA game in his new shoes. But there's a part of me that keeps thinking that the spike in sales has a lot to do with the insane hype and the limited nature of both releases so far.

From L-R: "Perspective", "Detail", "Inspiration" 

Three new Kobe 9 Elite colorways are slated to drop in March, beginning with the "Inspiration" (3/1), followed shortly by the "Perspective" (3/8), and the "Detail" towards the end of the month (3/22). All three colorways are said to be General Release, which will give people a better chance of picking up pairs and limiting the chances of their resale value to go as high as they've been so far. And as incredible as Nike's efforts have been to send the Kobe 9 hype into overdrive, I do hope it starts to slow down soon. Having to deal with resellers and spending more than you should on a pair of shoes is rarely an ideal scenario because all it means is that your chance to walk in a store for a pair of shoes you like was taken from you.