Basketball Shoes

[wadesworld]

The Puma discussion in the TBT thread has me thinking about basketball shoes.

What are your favorite basketball shoes ever?  Your favorite you ever wore to play in?  What you're currently wearing?

My favorite aesthetically are the Jordan 11s.  What I'm currently wearing are the Giannis Immortality 1s, which are also my favorite I've ever worn.  Very light, very comfortable, literally did not need any breaking in, they were super comfortable from the first time I put them on and I did not need to wear them while shooting around to break them in.  I got the Smoothie colorway twice, tore the first pair up pretty good and replaced them with the same pair.  Just bought the rose colorway to have when the second pair of Smoothies wears down.  My first pair didn't really last long, but that's what you get with an $80 pair of shoes these days, rather than the $130 his other pair costs.

Paul George's first signature shoe is probably my second favorite I've ever worn.  More support than Giannis's shoes, but a bit stiffer.

[JWags85]

Jordan 1s are still my favorite "basketball" shoes of all time.  I own multiple pairs and won't ever stop wearing them.  Timeless.  3s are my next favorite, followed by 4s.  But I too love the 11s.   Other basketball shoes are really sharp, but I won't wear any outside of a purely athletic setting outside of 1s, 3s, and 4s.

I wore Kyrie 3s for awhile. Loved them. I haven't bought in a minute as Ive played less since COVID, but I got a pair of Kyrie 7s in 2020 I really like that I wear working out otherwise.

[4everwarriors]

Won't buy/wear anythin' Nike, hey?

[Uncle Rico]

Only wear Nikes.  Absolute best shoes

[warriorchick]

I don't really play basketball anymore, but I have a pair of Converse All-Stars that I wear to knock around in.

[tower912]

Nike forever.   

[MU82]

Many (most?) of those of us who are 55+ actually played basketball in Chuck Taylors -- almost hard to believe now.

Got my suede low-top Clydes when I was in 8th grade. They were the shyte.

The summer before I went to high school I saved up so I could buy my first pair of leather Adidas high tops -- white with 3 black stripes. They were cool but pretty uncomfortable.

In 1992 I got my first Air Jordans - white with red trim and swoosh. Got 'em at a great price at the Nike employee store in Portland because I was there for work and I had a friend who was an employee. I bought my son and daughter each a pair, too, and a bunch of clothes for all of us. I had to buy a bag so I could get everything home. I wore those for several years because I'd only play indoors with them; I guess they were were my favorites if I had to choose -- the first pair of high-tops I had that really were both supportive and comfortable.

I did the Reebok pumps once. Looking back, that was quite a schtick.

Three years ago, I coached at the junior clinic in conjunction with the NBA All-Star Game. They gave each of us coaches a swag bag, including a pair of the latest Curry Under Armours. They were cool looking but I could not believe how uncomfortable they were. I wasn't the only one who felt that way -- literally everybody I asked said they were the worst shoes they had worn in years. I ended up selling them because I couldn't wear them.

[tower912]

Won't buy/wear anythin' Nike, hey?

You are all about the velcro New Balance.

[4everwarriors]

Fahrenheit, if you only knew, you'd realize how ridiculous that statement is, hey?

[wadesworld]

Fahrenheit, if you only knew, you'd realize how ridiculous that statement is, hey?

https://youtu.be/vb8ok8WBfbs

[4everwarriors]

More like this, kin, aina?


https://youtu.be/BfzsMQGqrt0

[reinko]

Agree with a lot of the above, some others include earlier KDs, namely the 10s and the 6s, and never hooped in a pair, but have to mention Kobe's with my personal favorites being the 4s and the 6s.

[warriorchick]

Many (most?) of those of us who are 55+ actually played basketball in Chuck Taylors -- almost hard to believe now.

Started playing organized basketball in middle school.  In the first year, I played in generic sneakers my mom bought at Kmart (came from a large family that didn't have a ton of money).  When I grew into them, I wore a pair of my mom's Converse high tops that she wore on her high school team in the 50's.  They were cool.

[MU82]

Started playing organized basketball in middle school.  In the first year, I played in generic sneakers my mom bought at Kmart (came from a large family that didn't have a ton of money).  When I grew into them, I wore a pair of my mom's Converse high tops that she wore on her high school team in the 50's.  They were cool.

Today's kids (and Gen Z and Millennial adults) love Chucks. They sell for big money even though they're basically just pieces of canvas stitched together and give absolutely no support to the feet. They probably cost 40 cents to make.

[lawdog77]

They probably cost 40 cents to make.

Close:
https://www.sneakerfactory.net/2017/10/how-converse-all-stars-are-made-vulcanized-process/

[real chili 83]

Red Ball Jets or go home.

https://redballjets.co/pages/history

[rocket surgeon]

PF flyers baby, helps you run faster and jump higher eyn'a?