Bing bong, baby. For the second year in a row, the New York Knicks are heading to the Eastern Conference Finals. One of the most storied franchises in the NBA has ascended from a decade-plus of utter hoops humiliation into rarified air. After sweeping the pesky Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals, they’re on their way to face the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Detroit Pistons series for a shot at the Finals. The streets outside of Madison Square Garden are appropriately energized and have become a focal point off of the court during this playoff season. So it’s no surprise that when it came time to drop the latest colorway of their iconic Air Force One, Nike linked up with the kings of New York content creation: Sidetalk NYC.

Sidetalk was launched in 2019 by Trent Simonian and Jack Byrne, both of whom were NYU freshmen at the time. They utilized a man-on-the-street approach to showcasing some of the city’s most colorful characters, and soon found their show shaping social media jargon across the internet. The show went supernova in 2021 when a video filmed during the Knicks’ season opener featured New York resident Jordie Bloom exclaiming “BING BONG!” into the microphone, a reference to the sound that rings out on the New York subway’s intercom system before the doors close (which also opens every Sidetalk NYC video). The expression took on a life of its own, and it’s now as much a part of New York jargon as “I’m walkin’ here!” or “It’s brick.”

Now with nearly 2 million Instagram followers and spanning over a hundred episodes, Sidetalk NYC has featured all manner of public figures, from Travis Scott to Wayne Diamond to Mayor Zohran Mamdani. More than celebrity cameos though, it’s become best known for showcasing colorful language, obscenities, and combinations of words no human being outside of the show would ever think to string together. The show also nabbed MSG mob regular Luke Manley a supporting role in 2025’s Marty Supreme, which starred courtside staple Timothée Chalamet. Manley earned his part after director Josh Safdie noticed him exclaiming, “Trae Young looks like my dad’s dick!” in a now-iconic episode released in the aftermath of the Knicks’ 2021 playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks. (And they say nobody gets “discovered” in Hollywood anymore.) Don’t worry, the Knicks got their lick back this year. Now a veritable Sidetalk superstar, Manley got tapped by the show and by Nike to participate in the launch for a Knicks-themed Air Force 1 that got a shock drop over the weekend.

In the video, Manley and a slew of Sidetalk staples flex pairs of the sneaker, which comes in a bright orange leather upper with a white midsole and gum sole beneath. It also features a blue Nike Swoosh and a white tongue with a blue and orange Nike NYC logo. The shoe received a shock drop on Mother’s Day at the newly reopened Nike SoHo flagship store to commemorate the Knicks’ win. Priced at $130, right now there’s no wider release date in the books for the sneaker. (You can grab ’em at resale sites for about double retail right now.) But with the Knicks on a tear, the energy outside of Madison Square Garden raging, and the shoe an instant sold-out hit (thanks largely in part to the launch with Sidetalk NYC) we’ve got a feeling you should keep your eye on the SNKRS app when Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals tips off.