As the few remaining days of 2025 dwindle away, it makes for a tidy time to look back on all that has happened this year, including in sneakers. Those conversations are typically dominated by assertions of which shoes were best, something Footwear News has done as well, but it isn’t only product releases that generate news.
In this story, FN looks back on all the biggest stories that don’t center on a drop, from the beginnings and ends of relationships to crime and closures.
Steph Curry Leaves Under Armour
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after making a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half at Chase Center on April 4, 2023 in San Francisco.
Getty Images
Under Armour allowed the most famous athlete in its history to walk with his brand name and logo, ending a 12-year relationship with Steph Curry that never quite reached its full potential. As the greatest shooter of all time continues to look for a new home, provided Curry Brand doesn’t become a fully solo endeavor, his shoe choices as a free agent are being closely monitored. Meanwhile, Under Armour is trying to find a way out of a prolonged slump.
Nike Resumes Tom Sachs Partnership
Tom Sachs wearing his Nike General Purpose Shoe at a Nike event in 2022 (left) and a teaser image of the Mars Yard 3.0 prototype.
Tom Hauck/Getty Images for NIKE, Inc.; Courtesy of Nike
A bombshell report in 2023 outlined a robust series of troubling workplace allegations at Tom Sachs’ New York City studio. Nike hit pause on their heralded partnership without closing the door on a return, and two years later it was back on with the announcement of the long-anticipated Mars Yard 3.0. A non-trivial amount of criticism followed, but not enough to damped participation in a demanding app program in order to earn a chance to purchase the sneakers.
Adidas and Fear of God End Partnership
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 05: Designer Jerry Lorenzo looks on during the first half between the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers at the United Center on Dec. 5, 2025 in Chicago.
Getty Images
Just last week, Jerry Lorenzo announced Fear of God’s relationship with Adidas will formally cease at the end of December. Some saw landing the label as a coup for Adidas after Fear of God’s previous work with Nike, but it took three years after the announcement for any shoes to land. Once the shoes did start coming out, they never equalled the sum of the parties involved.
Palace Switches From Adidas to Nike
The logo for the Nike x Palace collaboration.
Courtesy of Palace
Adidas and Palace were a blockbuster combo for 10 years, with high points including the streetwear brand appearing on an in-game uniform for Juventus and similar moves in professional golf and tennis. A new era with Nike started fittingly with the Total 90 3, a soccer shoe with major cred in Palace’s London home base.
SoleFly’s Air Jordan 3 Shipment Stolen
SoleFly’s Miami-themed Air Jordan 3.
Courtesy of @jitthebeast
A grinch tampered with one of the most hotly anticipated releases for the last month of the year. SoleFly announced the theft of a shipment of its Miami-themed Air Jordan 3 in November and said the release could be delayed, and the planned date has now passed without any indication of when a new drop will come.
CoolKicks Owner Arrested for Purchasing Stolen Sneakers
The owner of CoolKicks has been arrested for allegedly purchasing Nike products stolen from a train.
Courtesy of CoolKicks
The owner of the Los Angeles-based resale store was arrested on allegations of purchasing Nike sneakers that had been stolen from a cargo train. These very type of thefts have drawn more attention this year, and there have long been quiet assumptions that many of the sneakers that hit the secondary market, particularly earlier, come from nefarious means.
$2M Worth of Nike Sneakers Stolen in Train Heist
Boxes of Air Jordan 11s recovered after a train theft in November (left) and the Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 involved in another train theft in January.
Courtesy of California Highway Patrol, Nigel Sylvester
This March brought the news that a string of train heists over the previous 12 months in the western U.S. involved more than $2 million of Nike shoes, including the high-profile Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4 collaboration. The operation ran in Arizona and California, and the arrest of an alleged ringleader hasn’t yet stopped the phenomenon.
Nike Settles Lawsuit Against StockX
Getty Images
A three-year legal battle that began in 2022 with Nike crying foul on StockX’s sneaker NFTs and expanded to include allegations of enabling counterfeit sales ended with a settlement in August. Terms were kept confidential, but Nike dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning it can’t file again.
Dick’s Acquires Foot Locker
The first Foot Locker store opened in 1974.
Courtesy
Dick’s Sporting Goods acquired Foot Locker for $2.4 billion in September and two months later announced it will clear “unproductive inventory” and close underperforming stores as part of its plans to shore up the business. A planned move for Foot Locker to Florida was also nixed, and it’s not yet clear what the purchase will mean for Champs Sports, WSS and Atmos, all of which are under the Foot Locker banner.
Bodega Closes Boston Store
J Balvin and Miller Light Bodega collection.
VIVIIMAGE
The influential sneaker boutique closed its original Boston location for good in January and temporarily closed the doors on its Los Angeles location and website. The majority of its staff lost their jobs, highlighting the difficulties of contemporary retail just a few years after Bodega put up record sales in 2021. The end of Adidas Yeezy and a decline in Nike traffic significantly impacted revenue, and the nearly 20-year-old institution suffered a major reputational blow because of widespread shipping delays from its third-party fulfiller.
Sneakersnstuff Files for Bankruptcy
Sneakersnstuff’s London store.
Courtesy of Sneakersnstuff
Before Bodega’s troubles went public, another seminal sneaker boutique from across the Atlantic signaled how difficult the sector has become by filing for bankruptcy. After starting in Stockholm in 1999, Sneakersntuff had stores in Europe, the U.S. and Japan at its height. It’s now down to Europe only, and Reziprok Ventures acquired the business with plans to right the ship and eventually return to New York City.
Kendrick Lamar Wears Deion Sanders’ Signature Shoe for Super Bowl Performance
Kendrick Lamar performs at Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans.
Christopher Polk
Kendrick Lamar gave a lot to scrutinize in his half-time performance, including the shoe choice underneath his flared jeans. The Nike Air Max DT 96 exploded in sales the following day much like the streaming of his music.
