Author: Sneaker Blogger

It’s time for 2025’s final edition of best footwear drops of the week. Looking back on the year, it was chock full of exciting moments and releases within the sneaker space. Before we wrap things up and beginning looking at what 2026 has in store for us, with drops from Nike, New Balance, Converse, and ASICS on the way, let’s recap which headlines popped up this past week.The Nike SB team has looked to Thai food to inspire one of its upcoming SB Dunk Lows, named the “Som Tum” colorway. A special “Year of the Horse” version of the Pegasus Premium is also expected to drop in early 2026. Jordan Brand has its own Chinese New Year-themed sneakers on the way, with the Air Jordan 1 Low OG covered in Chinese-inspired detailing. Meanwhile, we took a first look at the Air Jordan 4 “Iced Carmine” and the Jumpman team announced the Jordan Luka 5.New Balance had two of its upcoming collaborations surface, with a Salehe Bembury x New Balance MADE in USA 992 on the way and Ronnie Fieg hinting at a Kith x New Balance 990v4. NIGO dropped his own teaser, highlighting a HUMAN MADE x Red Wing Heritage capsule. Two more collab projects on the way were discussed as well: an atmos x Ghost in the Shell x Reebok Instapump Fury 94 and a fragment design x Timberland 6-Inch Boot.With all of the major footwear news from last week revisited, let’s look ahead at what’s to come from the final week of the year, starting with the last Nike Book 1 drop. After working your way through the list, be sure to hit up HBX to see which styles you can cop today.Nike Book 1 “Torched”Release Date: December 30Release Price: $155 USDWhere to Buy: SNKRSWhy You Should Cop: Before Devin Booker and Nike Basketball begin the next chapter of their partnership, one final Nike Book 1 is set to drop. A special “Torched” pair that features an all-white canvas build with “burn” details has been prepared. This is one of three shoes from Booker, and the only Book 1, that embraces the transition from his first signature shoe to his second, with it rising as a phoenix with the other two looks.New Balance “Year of the Horse” CollectionRelease Date: January 1Release Price: ¥15,950 JPY to ¥25,300 JPY (approx. $102 USD to $162 USD)Where to Buy: atmosWhy You Should Cop: New Balance is back with another of its annual celebrations of the Lunar New Year. Tapping into the “Year of the Horse” theme, it has assembled six sneakers and a complementary apparel range to embrace the festivities. An ABZORB 2000 pairs a sleek black upper with silver and red detailing while its ABZORB 2010 counterpart favors brown and gray. Meanwhile, two takes on the red-hot 204L embrace pony hair at the heel and compositions of brown and white that combine with an all-black sole unit. Lastly, the 574 sneaker similarly takes on two looks, adding red accents to off-white and black finishes.Nike Kobe 9 EM Protro “Stitches”Release Date: January 1Release Price: $190 USDWhere to Buy: SNKRSWhy You Should Cop: Nike Basketball continues to bring back more of the late Kobe Bryant’s signature shoes each year. For 2025, it was all about the introduction of the Kobe 3 Protro. However, that didn’t stop the brand from touching on its previous focal points. The Kobe 9 EM Protro is back to kick off the new year with a “Stitches” colorway, aka the “Purple Dynasty,” that is drenched in purple.New Balance AC RunnerRelease Date: January 1Release Price: $150 USDWhere to Buy: New BalanceWhy You Should Cop: Another major moment for New Balance to kick off the new year is the introduction of the AC Runner. This sleek new running shoe is a departure from its retro-inspired DNA, instead offering a mesh upper with printed graphics for a modern flow. Meanwhile, its technology-packed sole unit is all about performance. Fresh Foam X backs the sole alongside three different levels of foam firmness.Nike A’One “Stone Mauve”Release Date: January 1Release Price: $135 USDWhere to Buy: NikeWhy You Should Cop: A’ja Wilson had an incredible 2025. Not only did she introduce her first signature shoe with the Swoosh, the Nike A’One, but she won her fourth WNBA MVP and third WNBA championship with the Las Vegas Aces. Now, she’s looking to carry that momentum into 2026 with a new “Stone Mauve” iteration of her debut sneaker. This pair is covered in rose gold detailing, including the shoe’s shiny Swooshes.Nike Sabrina 3 “Iron Grey”Release Date: January 1Release Price: $135 USDWhere to Buy: NikeWhy You Should Cop: Another of Nike Basketball’s signature athletes from the W to be dropping a sneaker this week is Sabrina Ionescu. The New York Liberty’s sharpshooter introduced her third signature shoe in July and has continued to offer fresh takes on the sneaker since. Look out for the Nike Sabrina 3 to embrace a new “Iron Grey” on Thursday. This new version of the shoe combines black with volt green while featuring a digi print atop the heel counter and tongue.New Balance RC56 “Ice Wine”Release Date: January 2Release Price: $165 USDWhere to Buy: New BalanceWhy You Should Cop: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. As much as I’d love to ignore that New Balance has rescheduled the launch of the RC56 “Ice Wine” for a third time, it’s the unofficial off-season of the sneaker industry and our options for drops to highlight are particularly limited. So, I’m giving the American sportswear brand a chance to fool me yet again. In case you missed the past two editions of our weekly feature, the Aimé Leon Dore co-designed sneaker is back in silver and black. And if New Balance does decide to bamboozle me for a third time, you can hit up HBX to grab a pair instead.Nike Book 2 “Rising”Release Date: January 2Release Price: $145 USDWhere to Buy: SNKRSWhy You Should Cop: At last, the Nike Book 2 is here. Nike Basketball offered Devin Booker an unprecedented amount of colorways to create for his first signature shoe, making the Book 1 era last much longer than the standard window. Now, its sequel is here and ready for action. The team decided to “trim the fat,” resulting in a slimmer shape that still draws inspiration from some of Booker’s favorite sneakers. This “Rising” colorway places an orange gradient Swoosh atop a black canvas base while the same color combo is present at the midsole, which rests atop an icy translucent outsole.Converse SHAI 001 “Clean Slate”Release Date: January 2Release Price: $130 USDWhere to Buy: ConverseWhy You Should Cop: Speaking of signature shoes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is back with another monochromatic rendition of his first sneaker, the Converse SHAI 001. Dubbed the “Clean Slate” colorway, this pair is absent of color, instead offering a white canvas that will darken with wear. As a result, the shoe’s uniquely-sculpted upper stands out more than ever.MDS (MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO) x ASICS HYPER TAPINGRelease Date: January 5Release Price: TBCWhere to Buy: Issey Miyake and ASICSWhy You Should Cop: Rounding out the week is the debut of a new partnership between Issey Miyake’s MDS (MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO) and ASICS. Referred to as “ISSEY MIYAKE FOOT,” the beloved brand’s new footwear development platform has created the ASICS HYPER TAPING sneaker. This ultra-slim model was previously highlighted during Paris Fashion Week and features unique elastic bands around the upper. Three unique colorways of all-black, all-silver, and a combination of fluorescent green, blue, and orange are set to drop first.