The History of Basketball shoes

Basketball Shoes have been an essential and exciting aspect of basketball. As technological advancements have occurred throughout history, so have the technological advances of basketball shoes. A little sneaker history before the creation of the basketball shoe was the first sneaker was made in the 1830s by the Liverpool Rubber Company and it became so popular that by the 1920s, the Liverpool Rubber Company was making specialized shoes, the first being for tennis. As different shoes made specifically for different sports became more popular, it was only a matter of time before someone made a basketball shoe.

Here is an overview of this process:

A notable mention is the Converse rubber shoe company made a shoe with suction cups at the bottom to stay on the court in 1908, but this wasn't a part of the basketball shoe

The first prototypes and designs:

The Non-Skids

The first basketball shoe prototype ever made was the Non-Skids. These shoes were made in 1917 and were the first shoe ever to be made specifically for basketball.

The All-Stars

Chuck Taylor, a l basketball player went to work at Converse as a salesman to sell the non-skids. When selling the shoe, he thought of new ways to improve it. Some of these ways are he helped improve the flexibility of the sole while giving the shoe more ankle support. This new shoe was referred to as the All-Star and became the official shoe of the Olympics from 1936-1968, and was even the official training shoe of the U.S. Armed Forces during this time.

The 1970s:

Before 1970, Converse was the most prominent basketball shoe manufacturer, but due to the growing popularity of the sport, many other manufacturers, such as Nike and Puma, tried to make their own shoes during this decade. Due to Basketball's increasing popularity, Converse no longer had control of the industry.

The Puma Clydes

The next influential shoe made was the Puma Clydes. This shoe was helped made by a New York Nicks player named Walt Clyde Frazier. This shoe was influential and different from the previous shoes because it had a wider sole and that helped improve the stability of the foot.

The Nike Bruins

Nike recognized how big of a game Basketball was becoming and started to try to design their own shoes. In 1972, the first Basketball shoe Nike ever designed and produced was the Nike bruins. This shoe was a new innovation because it was the first to feature distinct leather uppers.

The Nike Blazers

Like Nike's previous shoe, the Nike Bruins, the Nike Blazers had a leather upper and was one of the most popular Basketball shoes in the 1970s, and new models of this shoe are still available today.

The 1980s:

The 1980s was a decade of innovation for basketball. Many more manufacturers and companies started making basketball shoes, and competition was becoming more common for companies like Nike and Puma. Although there were more companies making shoes, Nike still had control of the market due to their name, reputation, and quality of shoes.

Nike Air Force 1s

Nike's big release of the early decade was the Air Force 1s. The Air Force 1s were made in 1982 and were worn by many stars, one of which being Moses Malone, a player for the San Antonio Spurs

Air Jordans

Then, arguably the most influential shoe Nike has ever made was the Air Jordans. In 1985, Nike parented with Michael Jordan to make the first Air Jordans. This shoe became hyper-successful mainly due the Michael Jordan's success, as he has become one of the greatest, if not the greatest NBA player of all time.

Air Jordan 111

The next version of the Air Jordans was the Air Jordan 111s. As Michael Jordan became commonly known as one of the best basketball players of all time, Nike wanted to put his name on everything they could. Like this shoe predecessor, the Air jordans, this shoe was super successful and is still being made today.

The 1990s:

The 1990s was a very influential age for basketball shoes because this decade was dominated by NBA stars promoting shoes and the public being inspired and buying them. This strategy of using a star's name and putting him on shoes was a fantastic idea and is still very prominent and used today.

Reebok Pumps

In 1991, the Reebok Pumps were released and spotlighted in the 1991 dunk competition. The shoe really became popular when the winner of the 1991 dunk competition, Dee Brown, turned out to be wearing this shoe. When the public realized this, the shoe became insanely popular.

Adidas Crazy 8s

As Kobe Bryant became a rising star in the NBA, Nike recognized this, and partnered with him to make the Adidas Crazy 8s in 1977. As Kobe Bryant's fame and success grew, so did his shoe sales.

Improved Air Force 1s

As basketball sneaker culture exploded in the 1990s, Nike focused on producing their original shoes with new technology and style. This new version of the Air Force 1s was significant because it featured many new never seen before colorways and featured the ever-popular all-white low-top.

Improved Air Jordans

Similar to some of the improvements made by the Air Force 1s, this new version of the Air Jordans featured many exciting colorways and included a faux lizard skin upper, resembling a sports car. This shoe was a significant influence in the shoe world because it was known as a "luxury shoe," and collectors were eager to get their hands on it.

The 2000s and 2010s,

The 2000s and 2010s were very influential decades in basketball shoes because of the significant improvement in technology. Prior to this decade, companies did improve their technology in shoes, but they mostly changed how the shoe looked or what material they used and didn't focus on the actual design of the shoe. Because companies were now focused on advancing their technology, companies were able to speed up their shoe release dates, leading to many different basketball shoes being showcased in the 2000s. During these decades, companies also started making limited-edition shoes to appeal to the ever-growing network of shoe collectors. These decades has also shown that Basketball shoes are not just meant for basketball players, but also collectors, and some of the most limited edition shoes on that planet are down in exhibits like The Design Museum, The Brooklyn Museum, and the BATA Shoe Museum.

The Nike Shox BB4

One if not the most influential shoe of the decade in terms of improvement in technology was the Nike Shox. In 2000, Nike invented what they call "Shox technology" when they realized the Shox BB4. This shoe was such an amazing innovation because it had a new type of support system that has hollow columns inside the shoe to provide stability.

Nike Kobe V

Continuing the popular trend of putting players' names on basketball shoes, the Nike Kobe V is the fifth shoe in Kobe Bryant's iconic basketball shoe line. Kobe Bryant wore these shoes in the 2010 NBA Finals, where, after leading his team to a second consecutive victory, this shoe blew up.

AdiZero

Designed by Toshiaki Omori, this shoe was an evident innovation in the world of Basketball shoes. When designing this shoe, Omori tried to make the design comfortable with a sock-like fit, and customers loved this idea, and it was a trendy, popular shoe in this decade.

Lebrox X

As a result of Lebron James being in the NBA for ten years, Nike partnered with him to make the LeBron X. Similar to the popularity increase of the Kobe V's after Kobe led his team to a finals win, this shoe was released after Lebron won his first championship, and fans bought without a second thought.

Nike Kyrie 1

As Kyrie Irving became a rising star in the NBA, like many other rising stars, Nike partnered with him to make his own brand of shoes. Unlike some other shoes being made in this time period focusing on improving technology, Kyrie wanted this shoe to show people what he was like. One way Nike did this was on the jagged design on the sidewalls of the shoe, which is a dedication to his time in Australia. Another way Nike did this was on the outsoles of the shoe, the birth and death date of Kyrie's mother was printed on it. People loved this shoe, and many fans bought it even more when Kyrie started becoming a superstar.

Nike Kobe 9

The Nike Kobe 9s were produced and started selling in 2014. This final shoe had very innovative technology and combined with the fact that an NBA superstar parented with it, made the shoe sell extremely well. This shoe was one of the first to include drop-in Lunarlon cushioning, and not only was this shoe popular on the basketball court, unlike other basketball shoes, but this shoe was also commonly worn outside of the court as well.

New Balance Pride 991

The New Balance 991s were a revolutionary shoe with many new innovations customers couldn't resist not buying. This shoe had more technological features than any other shoe made before this. Even the ad for this shoe couldn't include all the new innovations. Just a few of these innovations are it was the only midsole on the market made of lightweight polyurethane. It also had a motion Control Device to help prevent ankle injury. Another feature this shoe had was a flextended saddle for lateral support. Another feature this shoe included was speed lacing to create a sock-like fit. It also had an ankle flex notch and action coller together to allow a full range of motion

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