Joe La Puma

Shows

Episodes

  1. The Truth Behind Reselling Sneakers In 2025

    DEC 19

    The Truth Behind Reselling Sneakers In 2025

    On the final episode of 2025 of the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal are joined by sneaker reseller Sole Street, Andre Arias, to talk about the current state of sneaker resale, if resellers are down bad, and the glory days of reselling sneakers. They also talk about Jeff Staple throwing fake Pigeon Dunks on a traffic light, Jerry Lorenzo leaving Adidas, and the Air Jordan 14s coming back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 24m
  2. Tracy McGrady Says Kobe Leaving Adidas Helped Him Get a Bigger Deal

    DEC 12

    Tracy McGrady Says Kobe Leaving Adidas Helped Him Get a Bigger Deal

    On this week of the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal are joined by NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady and he talks about his history with Adidas, how Kobe Bryant leaving the brand helped him negotiate a bigger deal, LeBron James wearing his sneakers in high school, where Adidas basketball went wrong, wearing Yeezys, and his infamous viral baggy suit, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 1m
  3. Rich Paul Talks NBA Sneaker Deals, Steph Curry's Free Agency, and New Balance Sneaker

    DEC 5

    Rich Paul Talks NBA Sneaker Deals, Steph Curry's Free Agency, and New Balance Sneaker

    This week on the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal are joined by legendary sports agent Rich Paul, who's a longtime friend and business partner to LeBron James, to talk about NBA sneaker deals, Steph Curry's sneaker free agency, and his upcoming sneaker release with New Balance. Paul talks about how he used to buy Air Jordans early for over retail, helping Nike and LeBron work on the LeBron 6, 7, and 8, and how he hand-delivered the Watch the Throne LeBron 9s to Jay-Z and Kanye West. He goes to on say that Ja Morant has the best sneaker in the NBA out of younger players and talks about how he signed to New Balance and the release details on his New Balance 2010. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 20m
  4. Ranking Our Top 25 Shoes Of This Century

    NOV 28

    Ranking Our Top 25 Shoes Of This Century

    This week on the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal talk about the 25 Best Sneakers of the 21st Century. They break down Kanye's Air Yeezys and Adidas Boosts, the Nike Mag, Pigeon Dunk, Tiffany Dunk, Galaxy Foamposite, and more. They say whether or not the sneakers should have made the list and if Yeezy 350s were way too low. They also discuss Travis Scott wearing an Adidas Y3 jacket and Steph Curry's sneaker free agency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 29m
  5. Joe Freshgoods Keeps It Real About His New Balance Releases, Bootlegs, and Nas Wearing His Sneakers

    NOV 21

    Joe Freshgoods Keeps It Real About His New Balance Releases, Bootlegs, and Nas Wearing His Sneakers

    This week on the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma and Matt Welty takeover the podcast duties with Upscale Vandal out sick. They’re joined by designer and New Balance collaborator Joe Freshgoods to talk about his long line of projects with the brand including his recent 2010 collaboration, the 992, and his 990v3 and 1000. He talks about how many units he makes, the reality of the industry, Nas wearing his sneakers inspired by the movie “Belly” and more.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 13m
  6. Our Personal Top 10 Sneaker of The Year Lists

    NOV 14

    Our Personal Top 10 Sneaker of The Year Lists

    On the latest episode of the Complex Sneakers Podcast, Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal finally put the Sneaker of the Year talk to bed. The hosts give their personal top 10 sneaker of the year lists with some constants from the ComplexCon panel, some surprises, and plenty of debate. They also unbox the SoleFly x Air Jordan 3 and the Travis Scott x Fragment x Air Jordan 1 Low, talk about sneaker theft, and much more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 15m
  7. How Coolkicks Got Busted With $500,000 of Stolen Sneakers

    OCT 10

    How Coolkicks Got Busted With $500,000 of Stolen Sneakers

    This week on the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal talk about the Coolkicks stolen sneaker scandal, Pharrell’s Jellyfish sneaker with Adidas, and why JLP doesn’t love all patent leather sneakers.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 1m
  8. The Shoes That Didn't Make the Sneaker of the Year List

    OCT 31

    The Shoes That Didn't Make the Sneaker of the Year List

    This week on The Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal discuss the sneakers that didn’t make the Sneaker of the Year list and why: Vans Souvenirs, Yu-Gi-Oh 95s, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    56 min
  9. Ghostface Killah Tells Hilarious Wu-Tang Sneaker Stories

    OCT 17

    Ghostface Killah Tells Hilarious Wu-Tang Sneaker Stories

    This week on the Complex Sneakers Podcast co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Upscale Vandal are joined by Wu-Tang Clan member and rap legend Ghostface Killah to talk about his love for Clarks Wallabees, Nike Air Maxes, his rap lyrics, influence on streetwear and fashion, and to hear hilarious stories about his changing footwear choices over the years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 14m
  10. The Best Sneakers of 2025 | Complex Con(versations) Panel

    NOV 7

    The Best Sneakers of 2025 | Complex Con(versations) Panel

    At ComplexCon 2025, Joe La Puma was joined by Fat Joe, Vashtie, Matt Welty, Brendan Dunne, and Upscale Vandal to discuss and rank the best sneakers of the year as chosen by the Complex team. Nigel Sylvester’s Air Jordan 4s, Air Max 95s, Awake’s Air Jordan 5s, and more are all debated as the audience discusses whether they like the choices or not and gives feedback to the panel in real time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 2m
  11. Is Jordan Brand Rinsing the Air Jordan 11?

    OCT 3

    Is Jordan Brand Rinsing the Air Jordan 11?

    On this week’s episode of the Complex Sneakers Podcast, co-hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty and Upscale Vandal discuss Air Jordan retros sitting on shelves, whether or not Jordan Brand is doing too much with the Air Jordan 11 for its 30th anniversary, and Welty seeing Michael Jordan at a NASCAR race in New Hampshire.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
  12. Salehe Bembury Changed the Game at New Balance, Crocs, and Yeezy

    OCT 24

    Salehe Bembury Changed the Game at New Balance, Crocs, and Yeezy

    Salehe Bembury joins this week’s episode of The Complex Sneakers Podcast to talk about his new book, “I Make Shoes”, his new brand, SPUNGE, and his sneaker history with Yeezy, New Balance, and Crocs.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 22m
  13. Tom Sachs Talks the Mars Yard 3.0 And Announces His Next Sneaker

    SEP 26

    Tom Sachs Talks the Mars Yard 3.0 And Announces His Next Sneaker

    Tom Sachs is on the Complex Sneakers Podcast this week to talk about his Nike Mars Yard 3.0, to unveil the brand new and upcoming Nike General Purpose Participation Shoe, address the allegations made against him at Nike in 2023, and his history in footwear and art. We even found out that Tom Sachs used to be an Air Jordan 9 guy. Elsewhere, the guys talk about the return of the "Toyko" Air Jordan 5, the return of grail-level shoes in general, and more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 14m
  14. DJ Clark Kent Shares Untold Sneaker Stories

    01/24/2020

    DJ Clark Kent Shares Untold Sneaker Stories

    The Complex Sneakers Podcast is co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Brendan Dunne, and this week they’re joined by legendary sneakerhead and producer DJ Clark Kent to talk about the genesis of his sneaker obsession, hear untold hip-hop industry sneaker stories, and why he loves the Air Force 1 so much. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 13m
  15. What’s the Best Nike SB Dunk of All Time?

    09/20/2024

    What’s the Best Nike SB Dunk of All Time?

    Is the Staple x Nike SB Dunk Low “Pigeon” the best SB Dunk of all time? What about the legendarily rare “FLOM” SB Dunk High by Futura? And does a shoe like the “Chunky Dunky” SB by Ben & Jerry’s even deserve consideration in such a discussion? In this episode, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty give their takes on the best SB Dunks of all time, and respond to some of the recent feedback over the rankings. They also talk about spending big money on grails, hunting for rare shoes, and the generally stale state of Air Jordans right now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 22m
  16. Ranking The Best Sneaker Collaborators Right Now (2025)

    SEP 19

    Ranking The Best Sneaker Collaborators Right Now (2025)

    The Complex Sneakers Podcast is back for its first episode since Upscale Vandal joined Joe La Puma and Matt Welty as a new host. The three guys catch up, Vandal explains why he joined the podcast and they go over the Sneaker Collaborator Power Rankings, as decided by the Complex Sneakers team. The team debates Travis Scott, Nigel Sylvester, Jae Tips, ASAP Rocky, Tyler, the Creator, and more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 41m
  17. J Balvin Trolled Sneaker Resellers on His Air Jordan Release

    09/06/2024

    J Balvin Trolled Sneaker Resellers on His Air Jordan Release

    J Balvin is four sneakers deep with Jordan Brand, and it sounds like he has more to come. In this episode, the Colombian artist discusses his relationship with Michael Jordan, his battle against sneaker bots on the Air Jordan 3, and what might be next up for his collaborations. He even touches briefly on that recent Air Jordan 4 custom he wore that Jordan was apparently not too happy about. Elsewhere in the episode, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty talk about finding your true sneaker size, the merits of the Air Max Dn, Wale’s Foams, and getting caught wearing basic sneakers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 13m
  18. Michael Vick Wants to Recreate His Nike Success on His Own

    09/27/2024

    Michael Vick Wants to Recreate His Nike Success on His Own

    Michael Vick has one of the NFL’s defining signature sneaker lines with a series of Nike shoes that matched his electric play with the Atlanta Falcons in the 2000s. Before that, he was turning heads by wearing Air Jordan 17s on the field. On this episode, he breaks down how his Nike deal happened, how he got back together with Nike, and why he wants to start his own footwear brand now. Vick touches on the influence his shoes had in Atlanta specifically, where the Nike Vick line was embraced by the likes of T.I. and Young Jeezy. Also in the episode, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty talk Nigo’s upcoming Nike collab and Nike’s incoming CEO, Elliott Hill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 3m
  19. How the Air Jordan XI Became the Biggest Holiday Sneaker

    12/20/2019

    How the Air Jordan XI Became the Biggest Holiday Sneaker

    On this week of The Complex Sneakers Podcast, hosts Joe La Puma, Matt Welty, and Brendan Dunne discuss the Air Jordan XI releases over the years, why it's become a staple in sneaker culture, and their personal memories of the shoe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min
  20. Ranking the Best Sneaker Collaborations Right Now

    08/02/2024

    Ranking the Best Sneaker Collaborations Right Now

    Who is the most powerful collaborator in sneakers right now? In this episode, cohosts Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty run down a long list of industry heavyweights to determine who in the industry is generating the most buzz, sales, and genuinely cool sneakers. They discuss how high Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God work at Adidas puts him, everything Joe Freshgoods has contributed, and why Travis Scott is still a titan. Also in the episode, some quick catch up on Odell Beckham Jr.’s Nike lawsuit, LeBron 22 updates, and Salehe Bembury’s new challenge at Puma Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 29m
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