Deion Sanders Shows Off Unreleased Nike "Prime Year" Sneakers
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In addition to turning the college football world upside down, Deion Sanders has infused the sneaker industry with much-needed star power. Why would we expect anything else from "Coach Prime"?
The Colorado Buffaloes head coach has made Boulder, Colorado, a hot spot for stars and sneakers. Since Sanders and Nike reunited last year, the two teammates picked up where they left off by re-releasing popular retro sneakers.
So far, Nike has released Sanders' signature Nike cleats and sneakers in the "Coach Prime" colorway. The black, white, and gold colorway is a direct nod to Colorado's football team.
Unfortunately for fans, all of the releases have sold out, and they must hit the resale market to find the kicks. Luckily, Nike plans to drop more colorways in the future.
One special sneaker we are holding out hope for is the Nike LeBron 21 "Prime Year." During the NBA season, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James debuted a red and white player-exclusive colorway of his 21st signature Nike sneaker, which paid homage to Sanders.
The colorway drew inspiration from Sanders' signature model - the Nike Air Max DT 96. The same performance model that Sanders wore during his heyday of tearing up the gridiron and the diamond (sometimes on the same day).
Before yesterday, we had only seen James wear the kicks on the court once. However, Sanders shared a detailed picture of the Nike LeBron 21 "Prime Year" on his Instagram account yesterday.
Sanders posted the picture and said, "found these in your office, you might as well let me wear these to Miami tomorrow - @deionsandersjr (I asked you on here because you can't say no in front of everybody)."
While we cross our fingers in hopes of the Nike LeBron 21 "Coach Prime" colorway hitting shelves, fans can shop James' signature sneakers and Sanders' apparel collection on the Nike website.
College football season is less than nine weeks away (not that we are counting), and Sanders is sure to keep the sneaker community on its toes until kick-off. Football fans can follow Sports Illustrated for all their footwear news from the sports world and beyond.
Further Reading: The UCLA Bruins show off their all-gold Air Jordan cleats.
PAT BENSON
Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.