Latest Sneaker Drops, Culture News & Sports Updates - December 18, 2025

uristocrat

Dec 18, 2025 — 4 min read

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Sneaker Releases - December 18

adidas AE 2 "Christmas"

Anthony Edwards' signature shoe gets the holiday treatment with a festive red and atomic green colorway. The Christmas-themed AE 2 features bold seasonal styling perfectly timed for the NBA's holiday showcase games.
Price: $130
Buy on adidas.com

New Balance 991 Made in UK Aimé Leon Dore

Teddy Santis returns to the 991—the original silhouette that launched the ALD x New Balance partnership—with new green and brown colorways. Available in both men's and women's sizing, this drop marks a strategic return to heritage over the momentum-driven 991v2.
Buy on ALD

New Balance 997 Made in USA Concepts "Montage"

Concepts delivers a premium Made in USA 997 colorway featuring sophisticated materials and construction. Part of their ongoing collaboration with New Balance.
Price: $220
Buy on New Balance

New Balance 2010 Rich Paul "Plum Brown"

LeBron James' longtime agent and Klutch Sports founder Rich Paul continues his New Balance collaboration with the 2010 in an elevated plum brown colorway.
Price: $180
Buy on New Balance

Brain Dead x adidas Pack

Brain Dead and adidas expand their partnership with new releases including the Taekwondo in Metallic Silver and Black/White colorways ($140 each) and the Climacool 2 in Metallic Silver ($180). The collaboration continues to deliver playful, experimental footwear designs.
Buy on adidas.com

Nike Air Max 1000 "Red/Atomic Green"

Nike and Zellerfeld's fully 3D-printed Air Max 1000 returns in its original red colorway paired with an Atomic Green visible Air unit. The seamless printed construction represents Nike's continued push into additive manufacturing. Raffle entries open through December 22.
Price: $180
Enter Raffle

Nike Air Force 1 Low "Jersey Made It"

A lifestyle-focused AF1 colorway featuring Cacao Wow, Summit White, Black, and Light British Tan tones with gum midsole detailing.
Price: $125
Buy on Nike SNKRS

Salomon X-ALP Carhartt WIP

Carhartt WIP and Salomon deliver rugged outdoor styling with camo accents on the hiking-focused X-ALP silhouette.
Price: $160
Buy on Salomon

NBA & Sports

Kevin Garnett Returns to Minnesota Timberwolves

Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett is reuniting with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx in a comprehensive new role involving business, community efforts, and content development. His long-awaited No. 21 jersey retirement will also take place in Minnesota, bringing KG back home to the franchise where he spent 14 seasons and won the 2004 MVP award.

World Basketball Day Announced for December 21

The NBA and global basketball community will celebrate the third annual World Basketball Day on Sunday, December 21. The event marks the anniversary of basketball's invention by Dr. James Naismith and includes participation from FIBA, USA Basketball, NCAA, and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The NBA announced a year-long collaboration with YMCA as part of the celebration.

Tonight's NBA Action (December 18)

Major games include Lakers at Jazz (9:00 PM ET), Thunder at Clippers (8:00 PM ET), Knicks at Pacers (7:00 PM ET), and Rockets at Pelicans (8:00 PM ET). After the Lakers' dramatic comeback win against Phoenix behind LeBron's clutch free throws, all eyes are on tonight's Western Conference matchups.

Culture

Chanel Métiers d'art Show Hits NYC Subway

Matthieu Blazy staged his first Métiers d'art runway show for Chanel on a downtown Manhattan subway platform, bringing high fashion to an unconventional underground setting. The December showcase embraced NYC's urban energy while highlighting Chanel's artisan craftsmanship.

J.Crew "Miracle in Manhattan" Holiday Market

The iconic American retailer brought its holiday market to Central Park Boathouse December 14-15, complete with NYC-inspired gifts, drinks, and festive shopping experiences. The weekend event captured holiday spirit with exclusive merchandise and seasonal offerings.

The North Face x Skims Winter Collaboration

Hit the slopes in style with The North Face and Skims's latest collaboration. The collection features tonal brown, powder blue, and icy white pieces that blend The North Face's technical outdoor gear with Skims's sleek, streamlined aesthetic.

Paris/64 Opens First US Flagship in NYC

Spanish accessories brand Paris/64 celebrated its first physical flagship in the United States with a stylish SoHo boutique opening. Guests included Olivia Palermo and Leandra Medine Cohen, marking the brand's official entry into the American market.

Technology

Google Rolls Out Gemini 3 Flash

Google launched Gemini 3 Flash, positioning it as the "workhorse" model that brings much of the Gemini 3 family's reasoning and multimodal capability into a lower-latency, lower-cost package. The model is being integrated into Google Search and the Gemini app, focusing on faster responses while maintaining advanced AI capabilities.

OpenAI in Talks for $750B Valuation

OpenAI held preliminary talks about raising funding at a valuation around $750 billion, potentially raising up to $100 billion according to reports. The massive valuation underscores the continuing AI infrastructure buildout and investor appetite for frontier AI companies.

Lovable Raises $330M at $6.6B Valuation

Swedish AI startup Lovable raised $330 million in a Series B round, valuing the company at $6.6 billion. The Stockholm-based company offers a "vibe-coding" platform that enables users to build entire software applications using natural-language prompts. CapitalG (Alphabet) and Menlo Ventures led the round.

SpaceX Starlink Satellite Anomaly

SpaceX's Starlink reported a rare on-orbit anomaly that produced debris, creating a "small number" of debris pieces and cutting off communication with the spacecraft at approximately 418 kilometers altitude. The incident marks an unusual event for the satellite internet network as it scales toward larger constellations.

MIT Technology Review: The 8 Worst Technologies of 2025

MIT Technology Review published its annual list of the year's biggest technology failures, featuring the Cybertruck, sycophantic AI, and humanoid robots. Politics emerged as a recurring theme, with Trump's memecoin and Musk's DOGE initiative making the list. The review noted 2025 as a year when technology became increasingly dependent on political power.

Intel High-NA EUV Breakthrough Amid Washington Scrutiny

Intel stock wavered as the company achieved a major chipmaking milestone with High-NA EUV technology while facing political scrutiny over tested wet-etch tools from ACM Research for use in Intel's advanced 14A process development. The dual forces show Intel balancing long-term technical wins with near-term geopolitical risks.