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adidas and James Harden have cooked up a new luxe version of the Harden Vol 9 sneaker, taking the already-bold basketball model to museum-worthy levels.

Literally, Harden's signature shoe becomes a literal work of art with this new "Molded Leather" update. Instead of its usual breezy avant-garde upper, the Harden Vol 9 gets encased in premium black leather.

The resulting design is too lovely to be a basketball shoe. But it is. Leather and all, the Harden Vol 9 preserves its hoops-ready features, like the full-length Lightboost cushioning and flexible, breezy mesh. It also still has that special traction patterned outsole ready for quick-changing moves on the court.

It's just wrapped in an even more stylish look now, not that the Harden Vol 9 wasn't a looker before.

The Harden Vol 9 is part of a new era of versatile basketball shoes, proving performance can be stylish. And all hooping sneakers are looking good right now, but no one's doing it like adidas, which also has the popular AE 1 sneaker (and its viral ads) to its name.

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The brand continues its streak of killer basketball shoes with the new luxurious Harden Vol. 9.

Speaking of which, the Harden Vol 9. "Molded Leather" sneakers are expected to drop on August 26 on adidas' website for $190.

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