Favorite Baller Shoe

[Always BUFF]

In 1976 I bought my first pair of basketball shoes other than ProKeds or Chuck Taylors.
Adidas hi top Superstars $22.00
77 I wore Nike hi tops
78 I wore Dr Js
79 I wore Nike hi tops
The shoe I wished I could've wore were DTs (David Thompsons)
I picked up some hi top Superstars recently ($88.00)...45 yrs later my feet haven't forgot how sore they were.
The year and your shoe of preference.

 

[96 Buff]

**** you.

 

[Buffnik]

The iguana skin Air Jordan 2 is the GOAT.

 

[Burrito]

Vans then.
Vans now.

 

[Ruckus]

Jordan 4s da best.

 

[FlaBuff]

Vans then.
Vans now.

Yeah, I wanted Vans shoes in 1982, but as a kid that was changing shoe sizes almost monthly and with a very frugal mom who was the product of two Great Depression surviving parents that was a no-go when Zayers had “perfectly good” shoes for a lot less.

Fast Forward to college, and future All-American center and all around good guy Jay Leeuwenberg’s dad was a VP for Vans. He’d send giant boxes of shoes. One year I was the only size 16 on the team so I scored about 12 pairs.

These days I buy my own Vans. I like to walk into the Vans store and say bring me all the size 16s you have. If I’m lucky it’s 1 or 2 pairs of shoes. The best ones I got were these:

 

[Go Buffs]

In 1976 I bought my first pair of basketball shoes other than ProKeds or Chuck Taylors.
Adidas hi top Superstars $22.00
77 I wore Nike hi tops
78 I wore Dr Js
79 I wore Nike hi tops
The shoe I wished I could've wore were DTs (David Thompsons)
I picked up some hi top Superstars recently ($88.00)...45 yrs later my feet haven't forgot how sore they were.
The year and your shoe of preference.

I was a huge DT fan back then and always wanted his shoes as a kid. In hindsight, pretty horrible looking shoe.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

Misleading thread title. I thought Uncle Ken was telling stories about his favorite SWOs.

 

[SINKRATZ]

The iguana skin Air Jordan 2 is the GOAT.
View attachment 45550

Those were great. For me, as a kid it was the IV. They weren’t the best Air Jordan’s but to this day I can still remember which kids in my school rocked these. Nothing separated the haves from the have nots in 4th grade like the Air Jordan IV and the iconic support triangle that connected the heel to the laces.


And it’s what Jordan wore in one of his more famous photos.

 

[JMBuffs]

My parents splurged once, bought me Reebok pumps in 5th grade and those ****ers got jacked at the Scott Carpenter pool two weeks later...never got my baller permit back after that and now 30 years later I still won't buy shoes unless they're stacked up at Costco.

 

[Uncle Ken]

Misleading thread title. I thought Uncle Ken was telling stories about his favorite SWOs.

That thread would have been titled, They’re not stupid, they’re just tired”.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

That thread would have been titled, They’re not stupid, they’re just tired”.

Baller.

 

[SewallBeach]

2002 (?)

 

[DBT]

 

[DBT]

“..so that your footwork can help you get the most from healthful, manly sports.” Frank Leahy

 

[BuffLuke80]

I got my son a pair of some that looked like these once he was ready for shoes. Still have them somewhere. As far as me, I've had so many pairs of them, idk which one to put up.

 

[Always BUFF]

“..so that your footwork can help you get the most from healthful, manly sports.” Frank Leahy

I wore them because they were what Pete Maravich wore..complete with sagging socks.

 

[Always BUFF]

I left a couple out from the OP...Clyde Pumas horrible on the feet but cool.
In college Adidas Top Ten.

 

[HotRack]

Actually played in a pair of the Converse Magic Johnson All-Stars for middle school basketball.
The Larry Bird black and whites were the other model.

 

[14er]

These were the must have in my Junior High besides the "pick your colors" Chuck Taylors. (some reason I get two pics)

 

[Bison]

I once wore the Addias KB8 shoes in college and those were one of the most comfortable basketball shoes I have wore.

 

[Goose]

I wore the Grant Hill Fila's and much like Grant, I saw my career derailed by them.

 

[FlaBuff]

For the 1989 Orange Bowl everyone got the Nike Bo Jackson cross trainers- the hot shoe of the time. Except for the three of us that wore size 16, we got giant yellow and white Nike Air high tops.

mine were like these but yellow instead of red

 

[Burrito]

For the 1989 Orange Bowl everyone got the Nike Bo Jackson cross trainers- the hot shoe of the time. Except for the three of us that wore size 16, we got giant yellow and white Nike Air high tops.
View attachment 45589
mine were like these but yellow instead of red
View attachment 45590

Imagine what those tiny hands thought while assembling those giant shoes. (Child labor to be clear, not President Trump.)