Bball

History of Basketball

By rterwill

  • Classic Era (1920-1984)

    Classic Era (1920-1984)
    The Classic Era was a stretch of time few of us today can even remember. Starting with the Chucks (Converse) shoes and concluding with the Air Force One's1, this time period is named "classic" for obvious reasons as some of the best players of all time dominated this area wearing these signature shoes such as Dr. J, Larry Bird, and Charles Barkley.

  • Early Years of Classic Era (1921%u20131960's)

    Early Years of Classic Era (1921%u20131960's)
    The Original Chuck Taylor dominated the basketball scene for over 40 years. The canvas sneaker with rubber soles is the all-time best selling sneaker at over 500 million pairs sold and counting. It wasn't until leather debuted on basketball sneakers in the 1960's that the canvas Chucks began its decline.

  • 1983 Classic Era

    1983 Classic Era
    1983: Air Force 1 debuts as the first Nike basketball shoe with an air sole. The Air technology differentiated Nike from rest of the competition and propelled the company to become the industry's leader %u2013 a position which Nike has never relinquished to this day. Furthermore, Air Force 1's strap, classic design and popularity allowed the shoe to remain a best-selling sneaker even as we speak.

  • Jordan Era (1985-1993)

    Jordan Era (1985-1993)
    One man dominated the era that gave sneakers the kind of popularity we see today. Let's face it, without Michael Jordan's influence on the game, we wouldn't be here today. From the time Michael Jordan had his own logo and shoe company everyone around the world wanted a pair of his shoes.

  • Throwback Era (1999-current)

    Throwback Era (1999-current)
    Michael Jordan's 2nd retirement sent the industry back once again. This time, Nike was prepared with the establishment of Brand Jordan. Unfortunately, the lack of interest in the NBA and lack of signature superstars caused consumers to look backward rather than forward. Throwback Jerseys and Retro shoes became more popular than anything new the manufacturers could create.

  • Golden Era (1994-1998)

    Golden Era (1994-1998)
    Michael Jordan's 1st retirement sent the shoe industry reeling. Will basketball shoes continue to sell without its main cornerstone? Nike realized it needed to find alternative methods other than relying on just one man. The Golden Era was a period of time where no one model line or person would dominate the entire industry. Yet due to new technologies, materials and design concepts, near everything manufacturers produced during this Era became golden and instant classics.