New Balance Combines Past and Present on the Hoops-Infused BB9000
A brand-new basketball lifestyle silhouette that mixes modern-day technology with heritage hoop sensibilities.
New Balance‘s basketball division has announced its latest model: the lifestyle-geared BB9000. Following hot on the heels of the versatile TWO WXY, the BB9000 combines past and present by mixing modern-day technical innovation with heritage hoop sensibilities.
The high-top design arrives in two colorways — white with ice blue and white with black/red embellishments — that draw inspiration from classic models like the 480 and 550. There’s also retro branding like New Balance spellout graphics or large NB logos on the collar for nods to the 574 and 1300 plus casual-geared exposed foam tongues and wax-dipped lace aglets. Down below, midsoles use the same FuelCell tech as high-performance models like Kawhi Leonard‘s KAWHI or the OMN1S, but here it’s applied for casual comfort. Icy outsoles with a classic traction pattern round off the look, providing cupsole stye that puts the shoe’s tech on full display.
“With the BB9000, we wanted to create something that stayed true to our roots but wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries,” says Samuel Pearce, Creative Design Manager at New Balance. “We wanted to tell the story of our past but merge it with current hoops street style, allowing consumers to take it from the court to the streets. We feel like the shoe we’ve created pushes basketball shoes into a new space and witnesses our performance innovation through a new lifestyle lens.”
The New Balance BB9000 will release via the New Balance webstore and retailers like Foot Locker on Apri 1. Its MSRP is set at $140 USD.
If you’re looking for more news on upcoming sneaker releases, check out the latest installment of HYPEBEAST’s weekly Best Footwear Drops list.
