Tracy McGrady Says Kobe Leaving Adidas Helped Him Get a Bigger Deal

On the final episode of 2025 of the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal are joined by sneaker reseller Sole Street, Andre Arias, to talk about the current state of sneaker resale, if resellers are down bad, and the glory days of reselling sneakers. They also talk about Jeff Staple throwing fake Pigeon Dunks on a traffic light, Jerry Lorenzo leaving Adidas, and the Air Jordan 14s coming back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week of the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal are joined by NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady and he talks about his history with Adidas, how Kobe Bryant leaving the brand helped him negotiate a bigger deal, LeBron James wearing his sneakers in high school, where Adidas basketball went wrong, wearing Yeezys, and his infamous viral baggy suit, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal are joined by legendary sports agent Rich Paul, who's a longtime friend and business partner to LeBron James, to talk about NBA sneaker deals, Steph Curry's sneaker free agency, and his upcoming sneaker release with New Balance. Paul talks about how he used to buy Air Jordans early for over retail, helping Nike and LeBron work on the LeBron 6, 7, and 8, and how he hand-delivered the Watch the Throne LeBron 9s to Jay-Z and Kanye West. He goes to on say that Ja Morant has the best sneaker in the NBA out of younger players and talks about how he signed to New Balance and the release details on his New Balance 2010. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal talk about the 25 Best Sneakers of the 21st Century. They break down Kanye's Air Yeezys and Adidas Boosts, the Nike Mag, Pigeon Dunk, Tiffany Dunk, Galaxy Foamposite, and more. They say whether or not the sneakers should have made the list and if Yeezy 350s were way too low. They also discuss Travis Scott wearing an Adidas Y3 jacket and Steph Curry's sneaker free agency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma and Matt Welty takeover the podcast duties with Upscale Vandal out sick. They’re joined by designer and New Balance collaborator Joe Freshgoods to talk about his long line of projects with the brand including his recent 2010 collaboration, the 992, and his 990v3 and 1000. He talks about how many units he makes, the reality of the industry, Nas wearing his sneakers inspired by the movie “Belly” and more.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the latest episode of the Complex Sneakers Podcast, Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal finally put the Sneaker of the Year talk to bed. The hosts give their personal top 10 sneaker of the year lists with some constants from the ComplexCon panel, some surprises, and plenty of debate. They also unbox the SoleFly x Air Jordan 3 and the Travis Scott x Fragment x Air Jordan 1 Low, talk about sneaker theft, and much more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At ComplexCon 2025, Joe La Puma was joined by Fat Joe, Vashtie, Matt Welty, Brendan Dunne, and Upscale Vandal to discuss and rank the best sneakers of the year as chosen by the Complex team. Nigel Sylvester’s Air Jordan 4s, Air Max 95s, Awake’s Air Jordan 5s, and more are all debated as the audience discusses whether they like the choices or not and gives feedback to the panel in real time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal discuss the sneakers that didn’t make the Sneaker of the Year list and why: Vans Souvenirs, Yu-Gi-Oh 95s, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Salehe Bembury joins this week’s episode of The Complex Sneakers Podcast to talk about his new book, “I Make Shoes”, his new brand, SPUNGE, and his sneaker history with Yeezy, New Balance, and Crocs.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Complex Sneakers Podcast co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal are joined by Wu-Tang Clan member and rap legend Ghostface Killah to talk about his love for Clarks Wallabees, Nike Air Maxes, his rap lyrics, influence on streetwear and fashion, and to hear hilarious stories about his changing footwear choices over the years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.