adidas has responded to the controversy surrounding Marcus Jordan’s decision to only wear Jordan Brand on the hardwood by cutting ties with the University of Central Florida short. The contract, which is in its final year of a five-year deal, will be preemptively ended following Marcus’ choice to wear the AJ12 “Rising Sun” in an exhibition win last night.

According to ESPN and the AP, “‘The University of Central Florida has chosen not to deliver on their contractual commitment to adidas,’ adidas spokeswoman Andrea Corso wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. ‘As a result we have chosen not to continue our relationship with them moving forward.’”

We covered the Marcus Jordan controversy in-depth recently, but it looks like adidas has finally drawn the issue to a close. Is this what you expected to see go down in Florida? Consider that Marcus made it clear he intended to wear Jordans to honor his family name when being recruited and was assured it would not be a issue.

Not all of us can afford to grab a new pair as soon as the one we’re wearing gets scuffed. So for those who prefer to keep theirs clean, adidas has paired up with Jason Markk as a part of their 523 campaign to put together a sneaker cleaning kit.

The exterior of the box features blue and white adidas and Jason Markk graphics, as does the inside. As for the goods themselves, the box is filled with an 8 oz. container of Markk’s Premium Sneaker Sleaner, as well as a brush and towel. The brush is also co-branded featuring both groups’ logos.

We’ve taken a look at a number of adidas’ collaboration with adidas, including the Valley, Dune and Summit and are pleased to let you know that they are now available.

DavidZ, through whom we exclusively sold the Nice Kicks x Asics Gel Lyte III, has the three aforementioned sneaker above for sale, starting today. The Dune is available in black and military green canvas, while the Valley, which we saw in navy blue suede recently, is available as well as in brown and black leather. The third adidas, the Summit, is out in Bone nubuck. All three are available in-store at the address below or through DavidZ.com.

556 Broadway (Between Prince and Spring st.)
Manhattan, NY, 10012
212.431.5450

Lately, adidas has applied an NBA theme to some of its classic silhouettes including the Originals “NBA Western Conference” Pack and the Superstar “LA Lakers”. However, they have now added a very unique theme to some of its classic models in an upcoming pack.

The five sneakers involved in the “Five-Two 3 Plants” Pack include the Nizza Hi, Samba, Forum Mid, Stan Smith and the Superstar. Each sneaker incorporated features a subtle, white, scaly base combined with a sole and shoelaces of the same color. However, its inspirational accents include a brown outsole (representing the Earth’s soil and the flower-like adidas sign on the tongue. No word yet on when this shoe will release; meanwhile, click here to view detailed photos.

We saw Bodega, UNDFTD, Solebox and Sole Service give a go at select adidas sneakers not too long ago with very positive results, and the “Your City” Series was born. For this second round of shoes, adidas invited four more big names to work with them. Are the results just as good?

We already got a look at Sneakersnstuff’s grey suede Stockholm yersterday, the first sneaker in this pack. The next up is Kopenhagen’s Norse Projects and their navy blue pair, which uses different materials (leather and suede) on the upper and the stripes. A yellow heel patch and top eyelet work as accents. Milano, Italy’s Slam Jam’s pair, which uses crinkled patent leather accents in lime over a blue upper and white sole. Gold letters along the stripes match the tongue label, which sits on a patent leather tongue in the same color as the uppers. Last up is NYC mainstay DQM’s design, which is done up in an all-black colorway with water-resistant material. Brass D-rings on the laces provide a look we don’t see too often in sneaker design.

Click here to check out the whole pack.

If you’re going to name a sneaker after a European city, it only makes sense that the namesake city’s premier sneaker shop gets a shot at a collaboration on it. That’s just what we get here with this adidas Stockholm, done up by Sneakersnstuff.

Using a nice and simple grey suede upper, a gum sole and asymmetrical stripes complete this one. Yellow stripes are used on the insides, while blue is chosen for the outer sides. “Stockholm” appears one of the uppers in gold foil text, while the other shoe reads “Sneakersnstuff,” paying tribute to namesake city and shop. adidas has already paired up with a number of boutiques worldwide for their Consortium “Your City” Pack, and more packs are expected in the future.

Click here for more pics.