Yao Ming Pump Omni Hex Ride

All of the sneaker companies are wondering what to do about the Olympics. First they went all out to have the flyest kicks on the best athletes on the biggest stage. Now they're halfway to all out--as in let's get the hell out before anything dangerous or political can happen. Heaven forbid an athlete takes a side or has an opinion that might be controversial. (Remember, "Republicans wear Jordans too"?) So now they're stuck: great product, dicey stage, how can they make the most ($) with the least risk?

Speaking of risks, Reebok's biggest world star, Yao Ming, is still at-risk of not playing in his homecoming Olympics. (Good thing lesser-Reebok-star Rajon Rondo played so well in the NBA clincher! Go Celtics!!) But back to Yao. He has been cleared to play on the Chinese national team in tourneys leading up to the Olympics, so hopefully his foot will cooperate and we'll get to see him go all out as the hometown hero. In any case, Reebok is dropping these beauts August 8th to celebrate his return. 2,008 individually numbered pairs will be released in China, and there will be unnumbered releases in Europe and the U.S. ($150)

Click on the images above or below for better detail.

I really think they're quite beautiful, especially the dragon which snakes around the entire shoe. I'm not so fond of the Hex Ride midsole, which seems like yet another version of the Shox, but what can you do? The rest of the Pump Omni details look superb. These are the first Mings that I would rock. They should come out down to a size 6.5 men's, but I'll keep you posted.