HoopsHype.com Rumors

Before Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III underwent surgery to repair a torn lateral collateral ligament and reconstruct his anterior cruciate ligament, Wall reached out to offer encouragement to his friend. “I texted him and told him I hope he have a speedy recovery, that the whole D.C. is behind him,” Wall said. “It’s a tough situation to see him go through, especially the same ACL injury as before, but we believe in him, and he did a heck of a job this year as their quarterback.” Washington Post

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Sneakers 

Michael Lee: Reebok issued a statement that it is NOT ending its basketball division. On split with John Wall: "We wish him all the best." Twitter @MrMichaelLee

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Sneakers 

John Wall’s relationship with Reebok goes back to when he propelled to stardom after a stellar performance at a high school basketball camp sponsored by the shoe company. Wall later signed a five-year deal worth a reported $25 million with Reebok before the Wizards drafted him No. 1 overall in June 2010. But the union is close to ending as Reebok prepares to soon end its basketball division, Wall acknowledged after Wednesday’s practice. The decision to abandon basketball comes only a few months after Reebok released Wall’s third signature ZigSlash basketball shoe. Washington Post

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Sneakers 

Wall has been spotted wearing Adidas sneakers in practice this week as he prepares to make his season debut after missing the first 33 games with a stress injury in his left knee. According to a source, Wall is scheduled to meet with representatives from Adidas on Thursday. Adidas has owned the Reebok brand since 2005 and Wall would join a roster that currently includes Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and Ricky Rubio. The structure of his deal with Reebok was unknown. Washington Post

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Sneakers 

John Wall: I'm blessed to take the next step in my career with @adidasHoops #teamadidas !! Twitter @John_Wall

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Sneakers 

NBA San Antonio Spurs G Tony Parker is leaving Nike for Chinese sportswear company Peak in a deal worth between €2M ($2.6M) and €3M ($4M) annually, according to Marc Limacher of SPORTUNE. Parker was receiving between €800,000 ($1.05M) and €1M ($1.32M) a year from Nike to wear its shoes. Sports Business Daily

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Sneakers, Peak 

Long a Nike man, Tony Parker was spotted by the astute eyes of Spurs interactive content manager Ben Hunt wearing Peak sneakers at shootaround. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Sneakers 

Iman Shumpert: Lol people actin like I'm telling them not to wear @Derrick Rose shoe. All I said is I won't wear them because I have to face off wit him. Twitter @I_Am_Iman

Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Sneakers, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert 

Kevin Ding: Fun first-time image in postgame Lakers locker room: Nash's son Matteo, 2, wearing Kobe Nike sneakers, shooting baskets into Kobe's chair. Twitter @KevinDing

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Sneakers 

Darnell Mayberry: Couple of Thunder players will wear Durant's special edition shoes today. Westbrook has his own custom colorway. Twitter @DarnellMayberry

Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant, Sneakers, Russell Westbrook 

Surya Fernandez: Li-Ning ads already in place at the AA Arena. That was quick. Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA

Sneakers 

Rapidly gaining ground in the international sporting world, the Chinese company is the sponsor of a number of NBA teams. This four-season long partnership with the Toronto Raptors is all part of the company's international marketing strategy, said Peak Sports' chairman Xu Jingnan. This partnership marks the first time a professional Canadian sports team has ever been sponsored by a Chinese company. Xu said they're hoping to introduce and establish their brand in Canada with the help of the Toronto Raptors. "Internationalization has always been the main focus in the development of Peak Sports," he said. "This partnership with the Toronto Raptors will help accelerate Peak's business here in Canada and bring our product to Canadian consumers." China Daily

Toronto Raptors, Sneakers, China 

David Hopkinson, senior vice-president of business partnerships of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment which owns the Toronto Raptors, said it's a deal that'll benefit both ends. It'll provide an opportunity for both sides to share information and learn from each other, he said. "Basketball is the number one sport in China, with well-established roots here in Canada, and this is an opportunity I think for us to really do something that bridges the gap between two cultures around the common love for basketball," said Hopkinson. With this deal, Peak will be exposed to Raptors fans who will see the company's branding all over the Air Canada Centre where home games are held. Peak's merchandise will also be available to Canadian consumers at the Raptors Team shop at the Air Canada Centre. China Daily

Toronto Raptors, Sneakers, China 

Except Westbrook. He wore the new Air Jordan XX8′s, becoming the first player to do so in a game this year after they were launched Monday. Oklahoman

Oklahoma City Thunder, Sneakers, Russell Westbrook 

Darnell Mayberry: Russell Westbrook will play in the Air Jordan XX8's Tuesday night against the Nets inside Barclays Center. http://t.co/47l2vEzJ Twitter @DarnellMayberry

Oklahoma City Thunder, Sneakers, Russell Westbrook 

Chris Littman: The Jordan XX8 is $250 (per @darrenrovell). Guess many will balk, but I want to know what you WOULD pay for them. Twitter @chrislittmann

Oklahoma City Thunder, Sneakers, Russell Westbrook 

It's been said you don't really know a man until you walk a mile in his shoes. But in the case of Warriors guard Jarrett Jack, that might take awhile. Jack, an NBA veteran who is fast becoming a valuable addition as the team's primary reserve, has a major thing for shoes -- basketball sneakers, specifically. In fact, he probably has the largest collection of them in the league. Jack claims to own more than 1,500 pairs of sneakers, many of them hard-to-procure limited editions, and he rarely wears the same pair twice in a row, whether it be in games, practices or out on the town. "There are only 365 days in the year," he said. "So I can only wear so many." Contra Costa Times

Golden State Warriors, Jarrett Jack, Sneakers 

Jack, 29, is in his eighth NBA season but his first with the Warriors after being acquired via trade in July. His new teammates are only beginning to learn the scope of his fixation, but have noticed he always has the flashiest size 12s on the floor. "He's worn a different pair of shoes every single day this year," said guard Stephen Curry. "I have not seen a shoe game like his." Contra Costa Times

Golden State Warriors, Jarrett Jack, Sneakers 

It’s been a long and arduous road but the adidas Rose 3 has finally been seen on an NBA court, just not on the NBA superstar that everybody was expecting. While Derrick Rose is still busy trying to come back from his injury, Grizzlies defensive specialist and Twitter maven Tony Allen took to court against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a never before seen colorway of the adidas Rose 3. With a blue upper with white accents, it’s hard to really see if Allen’s shoe more closely resembles the Rose 3 that released earlier in the year in terms of materials or if it’s more like the Rose 3 “Brenda” which has a softer feel with a faint hint of an elephant print. Whether or not this will get a retail drop remains to be seen, but with enough patience, one can actually replicate the colorway Allen was wearing on the miadidas website. Kicks On Fire

Chicago Bulls, Memphis Grizzlies, Tony Allen, Sneakers, Derrick Rose 

Some exciting news from the sneaker world this morning: Basketball footwear and apparel company AND 1 has officially signed Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson to an endorsement contract. SLAM first reported the news via Twitter back on October 2, and Stephenson has exclusively donned AND 1 sneakers during the first month of the NBA season, but the partnership between the storied footwear company and the talented guard was formally announced today. SLAM

Indiana Pacers, Lance Stephenson, Sneakers