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The History of Basketball Shoes

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The Original: Converse

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The first basketball shoes were designed only for playing basketball, not for style. Basketball shoes first appeared in the 1920's. The first ever basketball shoes were the original Chuck Taylor by Converse.[1] These were the best selling basketball shoes for more than 40 years after coming out, selling more than 600 million pairs. In the 1960's however, more durable leather sneakers from Nike and Puma were starting to be seen on the court. Converse was still the top selling basketball shoe though because the NBA stars were still sporting the sneakers.

The Original Converse

Nike's Rise to the Top

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Nike

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Nike [2] , one of America's leading sports equipment and apparel companies, first came out with basketball shoes in 1972, with the Nike Bruin and Nike Blazer.

2012 Nike Blazers

The Blazer was worn by NBA players Geoff Petrie and later by George Gervin. [3] "Nike Basketball Shoe Timeline". A large draw to Nike's basketball shoe success was the lightweight leather vs. canvas of other brands' basketball shoes.

Air Max

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Using momentum from the recent Jordan brand, in 1987, Nike came out with Nike Air Max, with visible air bags inside the shoes. These shoes were campaigned by a commercial, with The Beatles' [4] "Revolution" playing in the background.

The "Hyper" Series

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In 2008, Nike launched a new "Hyper" series of shoes that helped define quickness and vertical leap. The United States Olympic basketball team, led by Kobe Bryant also wore the Hyperdunks. Also in 2008, Bryant was filmed jumping over a moving Aston Martin in the Hyperdunks. In 2009, the Hypermax was debuted with on-court action displayed by names such as Drew Gooden, Chris Bosh, and Carlos Boozer.

The Jordan Brand

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In 1984, Air Jordans, a personal pair of basketball shoes were worn by Michael Jordan[5] during his rookie season in the NBA. His Air Jordans were known for their vibrant colors, helping set the Jordan brand apart from the rest. During the 1985 season, Jordan was fined five thousand dollars by the NBA for each game he sported the shoes. Nike gladly paid for those fines. [6] [7] Air Jordans were first available to the public starting in 1985. Nike later produced a commercial for the original Air Jordan shoes, in which Spike Lee [8] played Mars Blackmon. [9] Lee was trying to find the source that gave Jordan his incredible basketball abilities, and came up with the trademark conclusion, "It's Gotta be the Shoes!" Prior to the new Jordan model, Nike had produced and sold over 30 basketball shoe models. Although the Jordan brand started with the shoes, Nike extended the Jordan brand by adding apparel to its collection.

MJ vs. Lebron

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Many people compare Lebron James[10] , four time NBA Most Valuable Player, to Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time. Nike has signed shoe contracts with multiple players over the years, but the current headliner is Lebron James, who in 2013 led all NBA players in shoe sales. Similarly to Jordan, Nike has used James as a large contributor to their different media outlets.

NBA Players to wear Nike

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NBA Players: 196

All Stars: 32

NBA Champions: 23

Olympic Medalists: 19

Adidas

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Adidas

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Adidas was founded in 1924. It was founded in Bavaria, Germany by brothers, Adi and Rudolf Dassler. The two men first named the shoe company after themselves, calling it Dassler Shoes. Later the company became known as Adidas. The company became a well known company after some of their shoes were seen being worn in the Olympics.

In 1948, one of the brothers, Rudolf Dassler, left the company, and started his own company called Puma. Once it was just Adi, he came up with the three stripe logo which is what the shoes are recognized by today, and changed the name to Adidas. Adidas started as a shoe company that only made track and field shoes. It then widened their clientele by producing shoes for all types of sports. Beginning in 1972, Adidas began making shoes for sports such as football, mountain climbers, basketball, and gymnastics. One thing that set Adidas apart from other shoe companies is what Adi did to make it successful, and have the trust of world-class athletes. He personally met with athletes, listened to what they were saying, and was constantly observing what could be improved or invented to support these athletes. He made shoes personal and in turn, better. Adidas sponsor, or endorses, many athletes and athletic teams. The endorse NBA players from almost every single team in the league. They also endorse many college basketball teams, both men's and women's.

Adidas Superstar

NBA Players to Wear Adidas

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Adidas has sponsored countless athletes since their start. They provide these athletes with top of the line, tailor-made, signature shoes. These are a few of the top Adidas Basketball shoes that have been worn in the NBA since Adidas's start.


College Teams Endorsed by Adidas

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These are some of the American College Basketball teams that Adidas sponsors. This changes frequently, so some schools may not be listed, and those that are may not be endorsed by Adidas any more. These are both men's and women's teams, though it may differ within each school whether both or only one of the men's or women's teams is endorsed.

Under Armour Basketball Shoes

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Under Armour

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The Under Armour (UA) brand started out as just clothes mainly for sports, but they have turned into a completely different brand that has been able to compete with the high powers such as Nike and Adidas. Under Armour came out late to the shoe game compared to the bigger shoe brands who have been involved. UA came out with their first running/training shoe in 2006 and then came out with their first basketball shoe in 2010. Since then they have been very successful. Their first basketball shoe line was called the Micro G collection which included four shoes, Micro G Black Ice, Fly, Blur, and Lite.[11] Since then Under Armour has created a wide variety of basketball shoes based on sponsor design and requests. Since then they have created some of the craziest designs and patterns that have ever seen the hardwood. They have come a long way since the first shoe release in 2010, they have made it big time with the big name athletes in all major sports.


 
Under Armour Black Ice

Technology

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Under Armour has been a shoe innovator ever since they released them in 2010, they went from a simple basketball shoe worn on the blacktop to high tech lightweight shoes worn by the best on the hardwood. In one of their latest releases they have incorporated a built in ankle brace, granted that it has gotten a lot of bad reviews but they are doing what the people want them to do.[12] They listen and try to meet the needs of their customers. The hard work has rewarded them with a very loyal fan base who always comes back to buy their product.

College and the Pros

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Under Armour has competed fiercely with Nike and Adidas by picking up collegiate schools, they may no have as many but they are making a big impact with the basketball world with teams such as the Maryland Terrapins, Auburn Tigers, Utah Utes and Texas Tech. The Under Armour brand has done a lot with The University of Maryland basketball team more than the rest because the brand is based out of Baltimore. They have also made their impact in the NBA now having a lot of sponsors with players from nearly every team. Brandon Jennings who at the time was the point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks was the face of the first Under Armour basketball shoe.

Athletes

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Under Armour has been stepping their game up recently by acquiring some of the big name NBA stars. One of the biggest recently was Stephen Curry of the [State Warriors] many others include Raymond Felton, DeAndre Jordan, and Kemba Walker.[13] The brand has many other big name athletes in nearly every sport that can use the Under Armour product. They have been competing with the brands that have been dominating sponsorship's for years and they won't stop until they are at the top of the leader board. And at the rate they are going it wont be long until they can match Nike and Adidas product for product.

Age of New Manufacturers

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Reebok and AND1

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As the National Basketball Association (NBA) started to gain more popularity during the Jordan era, the basketball shoes also became more popular. Different manufacturers started to produce basketball shoes such as Reebok. In 1982, Reebok introduced the first athletic shoe for women. This move helped Reebok grab the majority of the market share in the early 1980's. Then in 1989 Reebok introduced the Pump to the Basketball shoe industry. The Pump shoe had a small pump located at the tongue of the shoe that inflate the bladder so that the shoe would conform tightly around the ankle when pumped. The Pump debuted at a price of $170, about double the price of other basketball shoes. Even so, over four years they sold more than 20 million pairs worldwide. AND1 was another manufacturer that came out during 1993 and focused more on selling their shoes to those who played street ball. They are the first basketball shoe company to get a deal without a contract from the NBA because they were endorsing men who did not play in the NBA.[14]

Technological Advances

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One of the newest companies to come out with basketball shoes is Ektio. Ektio first started coming out with basketball shoes in December of 2010. The two models they first came out with were the Ektio Wraptor and the Ektio Post Up.[15] Ektio's basketball shoes focused primarily on developing shoes that would prevent ankle sprains. Ektio believes with their new high top technology, ankle sprains will be an injury that stops occurring all together. Former Knicks guard John Starks supports Ektio and has started to promote the new company.[16] Ektio's latest shoe debut is called the Breakaway and is priced at $129.99. Another new company to sell basketball shoes is Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL). APL was founded in 2009 but they received a U.S. patent on their revolutionary Load ‘N Launch® technology. Their Load 'N Launch technology features a unique device that serves as a launch pad at the front of the shoe which increases the vertical leap of those wearing the shoe. The shoes have been tested on athletes and athletes have experienced increases of several inches on their vertical leap wearing Athletic Propulsion Labs™ basketball shoes with the Load ‘N Launch™ technology. [17] APL currently has three different types of basketball shoes available which are Concept 1, Concept 2, and Concept 3. Their latest shoe, Concept 3 is selling for $175.00.

References

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  1. ^ "Basketball Shoe History".
  2. ^ "Nike".
  3. ^ George Gervin "Nike Blazers". {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  4. ^ "The Beatles".
  5. ^ "Michael Jordan".
  6. ^ "Michael Jordan helping Nike".
  7. ^ "NBA".
  8. ^ "Spike Lee".
  9. ^ "Mars Blackmon".
  10. ^ "LeBron James".
  11. ^ [[1] "microblur"]. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  12. ^ "sneaker line".
  13. ^ "athletes".
  14. ^ "AND1 History".
  15. ^ "Ektio shoes prevent ankle sprains".
  16. ^ "John Starks and Ektio Breakaway".
  17. ^ "Load 'N Launch Technology".
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