Pretty much any way you slice it, 2012 is set to be another jam-packed year for Air Free Run retros. A pair of Air Free Run 5’s right around the corner, the Olympic VI’s later on down the line, XI’s popping up in the low version with the patent intact, you get the picture. And since all that is quite a bit to keep track of we want to make sure you don’t miss anything along the way, like the upcoming retro of the Air Free Run X2 ‘Playoffs’. A beauty of a black and white design from the tail end of the Tinker years, the retro is looking right with the black leather towards the top taking on some nice textures for a buttery look. The latest pair shown here is the kids version, so peep the pics after the jump and let us know if you’ll be lacing up the youngin’s in these. As always, stick with Sneaker News for more info on the April release of the Air Free Run X2 ‘Playoffs’. via SL

The last two Nike Zoom LeBron Ambassador releases were Asia Exclus5es, serving as a more affordable alternat5e to the LeBron signature line, which reached the $160 mark withe LeBron V2. The third Ambassador design falls in line with the design concept behind the Ambassador but brought back an interesting design cue from the Ambassador 1 – the Asian-inspired graphic print that was on the heel of the first. Also added to the Ambassador is a visible Air unit at the heel. The Ambassador 3 also draws comparisons to the Zoom LeBron 3 based on the toe construction and Nike swoosh on the heel. These two new colorways of black/red/white and grey/purple/blue are Nike Free Run 5.0 V3 part of the Holiday 2010 releases – an Nike Free Run 3.0 V5 all-black and SVSM colorway followin soon – and once again, the Ambassador is expected to be an Asia Exclus5e release. Take a look at both upcoming colorways after the jump and let us know if this is the best Ambaasador design to date. via Dunk.

The debut of the LeBron 8 V.2 marks the second stage of LeBron James’ season. Phase 2 means LeBron will pick up the pace and eke out that extra dose of push, and the LeBron 8 V2, one ounce lighter than the V1, will help him do so. An ounce may not seem like much, but hardcore research from the Air Max R&D crew over two decades ago came to the somewhat surprising conclusion that a mere ounce makes a mass5e amount of difference. That’s the primary goal for the LeBron 8 V2 – a minor subtraction here to pay huge d5idends elsewhere. CitySole just made available a pre-order of the Nike LeBron 8 V.2 in white, sport-red, and black, so take another look after the jump (with a look at the V2 box) and let us know what you think.

It’s been almost exactly one year since we saw the last pair of Nike Originals Pro Model hightops here on Sneaker News, so what has this hightop shelltoe been up to in the last twelve months? Getting back to basics, apparently, as these two new colorways are about as simple as it gets. White and black pairs both feature toe caps in the same color as their leather uppers and both have golden accents on the tongue, side panel and heel, the former Nike Free Run 3.0 V3 opting for black stripes while the latter relies on a deep green hue for a bit of balance. Have a look at some additional images after the jump and look for these at select Three Stripes stockists like Mr. R Sports.