Jalen Williams is one of six adidas athletes to make the NBA All-Star roster in 2025. While he doesn’t have his signature sneaker, he’s been known to show love to fellow labelmates and the perennial face of adidas Basketball, James Harden, with Williams often getting PE colorways of Harden’s signature sneakers. Now, Jalen has crafted a pair of Harden Vol. 9s that will hit shelves later this year.
Although not an overt homage to Buzz Lightyear, the color palette’s resemblance to the Toy Story character is uncanny as we see a bright purple shade applied to the internal neoprene bootie and green present on the mesh cutouts on the midfoot. Above the base sits a white leather, wrapping across the sneaker's entire upper. Pink hits separate this white leather from the internal base, with the vamp hosting Williams’ adidas logo.
This same logo for Jalen is also applied back on the heel tab, while his number 8 is stamped atop the volt green nylon pull tab on the tongue. Underfoot, the Harden Vol. 9 comes equipped with LIGHTSTRIKE and LIGHTBOOST cushioning, a y-shaped torsion plate, and modified herringbone traction on the outsole. Here, the sole unit comes in an icy blue finish with pink, green, and purple Three Stripes extending down to the outsole.
The Jalen Williams x adidas Harden Vol. 9 will release in June 2025 through adidas and select retailers online and in-store. The retail price has yet to be announced, but considering the Harden Vol. 9 retails for $160, expect this PE version to hover around that price point. Download the Sole Retriever mobile app to stay updated on the latest releases, raffles, news, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.
Images via adidas
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
