50 Moments That Changed Sneaker Culture Forever
From on court to on stage to on stands.
Image via Complex Original
Sneakers have come a long way. In their hundred-plus year history, they've gone from primitive pieces of athletic equipment to status symbols, from on-court wear to everywhere. And along the way, they've impacted everything from sports to retail to entertainment. Whether you believe that there is an actual "sneaker culture" or not, you can't argue that the once lowly sneaker has left its mark on culture as a whole. So, from that whole history, we present 50 Moments That Changed Sneaker Culture Forever, in chronological order. Read and learn.
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Chuck Taylor Joins Converse
Date: 1921
Contrary to what you may believe, Chuck Taylor did not invent the basketball shoe, or even the shoe that even today bears his name. But he did make it better. Converse introduced the All Star in 1917, and the salesman and semi-pro basketball player came on board in 1921. By 1932, his improvements had been implemented, and his name was added to the ankle patch he devised. The modern basketball sneaker started here.
The Dassler Brothers Split Up
Date: 1948
The roots of the dispute are lost in time, but in 1948, Rudolf Dassler and his brother Adolf had an argument. A big one. And when it was over, Rudolf left the family shoe company and moved across the Aurach River to start his own. Adolf renamed his company adidas (a shortening of his nickname, "Adi Dassler"), and Rudolf named his Puma. The first, and longest-standing, sneaker rivalry was born. And progress could begin in earnest.
Blue Ribbon Sports Is Founded
Date: 1/25/1964
It all started as a Stanford graduate school project. And when Phillip Knight saw that selling Onitsuka Tiger track shoes could be a profitable venture, he brought his old Oregon track coach, Bill Bowerman, in on the deal. And from such humble beginnings, Nike was born.
The Van Doren Rubber Company Opens Their First Store
Date: 3/16/1966
The Van Doren brothers, James and Paul, had an idea. What if they manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public? They opened their first store in Anaheim, CA on March 16, 1966, and on the first day, sold 12 pairs. From such humble beginnings came Dogtown, the Bones Brigade and more or less the entire skate shoe industry. You're welcome.
adidas Releases the Abdul-Jabbar, the First Official "Signature Sneaker"
Date: 1971
By 1971, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was already a superstar. He'd emerged from NYC's Power Memorial as the best high school player in the nation, and gone on to win three NCAA championships (freshmen weren't eligible for the varsity back then) at UCLA. He also caused the NCAA to actually ban dunking. Drafted first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969, Jabbar became an immediate star in the NBA, scoring 29 points in his first game and going on to win Rookie of the Year. His second year he was named MVP. So when adidas gave him his own signature shoe, it was precedent-setting - but should have been entirely predictable. Who better to be first?
Steve Prefontaine Dies in a Car Wreck at 24
Date: 5/30/1975
Nike's first creative genius was Bill Bowerman, and his biggest muse (and test mule) was Steve Prefontaine. Bowerman was the legendary track coach at the University of Oregon whose tinkering led to such Nike trademarks as the waffle sole, and Prefontaine was the preeminent runner of his generation, who wore many of Bowerman's kitchen-built skunkworks spikes. When Prefontaine died in a single-car wreck at the age of 24, much more was lost than just a single life.
Dr. J Wins the ABA Slam Dunk Contest
Date: 1/27/1976
Julius Erving had already been wearing Converse - the red Chuck Taylors he wore as a member of the Virginia Squires should have started a movement of their own (and maybe they did). But nothing makes for iconic imagery like a slam dunk contest, and with his boundless hops and monster Afro, no one made for more iconic imagery than Dr. J. Converse should have owned the world before Michael Jordan even got to high school.
"Game of Death" Is Released
Date: 3/23/1978
The film was unfinished due to Bruce Lee's untimely death, but Game of Death still eventually released. Along with his fighting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the lasting image of Bruce Lee is him in his yellow and black Onitsuka trainers. Sneakers in a movie had never been so easy to spot.
Nike Officially Becomes Nike
Date: 5/30/1978
The Nike name and the Nike Swoosh had been appearing on sneakers since 1972, but the name change from Blue Ribbon Sports wasn't made officially official until 1978. Perhaps Phil Knight was still holding out hope that his original idea for a name - Dimension Six - would be adopted. Good thing it wasn't.
Wieden & Kennedy is Established, with Nike as Their Main Client
Date: 4/1/1982
Ad agency selections aren't usually big deals, but most ad agencies aren't Wieden & Kennedy. The Portland-based company is responsible for just about every Nike campaign of the past 30 years - Lil Penny, Griffey '96, Spike and Mike - and, given Nike's overwhelming marketing success over all competitors, deserves as much credit (if not more) than anyone in Beaverton.
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" Is Released
Date: 10/13/1982
Jeff Spicoli was the quintessential Cali stoner, introduced to the world with board shorts and the soon-to-be-iconic checkerboard Vans slip-ons via 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And in between bong hits and infuriating Mr. Hand, Spicoli did more to push Vans to the general shoe-buying public than an entire decade's worth of ads. "All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine." Us too, Jeff, us too.
Michael Jordan Signs with Nike
Date: 10/24/1984
The truth is this: Michael Jordan wanted to sign with adidas. It was what he wore in high school before he attended North Carolina (and wore Converse) and was what he wanted to wear in the pros. Had they offered exactly the same deal as Nike, Jordan would have signed with adidas. They didn't, and "Air Jordan" was born. The most valuable signature in history? Could be.
Michael Jordan Debuts the Air Jordan in the Regular Season
Date: 11/17/1984
Trying to find exact information from the earliest days of Air Jordan is a tricky proposition. According to "Swoosh: The Unauthorized Story of Nike and the Men Who Played There," Michael Jordan debuted the all-new Air Jordan in his second NBA game, on the road against Milwaukee on October 27th. But video from that game clearly shows him playing in the same white/red Air Ships he wore in his first game. The earliest confirmed sighting of the Air Jordan on an NBA court comes on November 17, in a home game against the Sixers. It makes sense that Jordan would have debuted his new shoe at home - but we're willing to accept contrary evidence.
Tinker Hatfield Switches to Sneaker Design
Date: 1985
Hired by Nike in 1981 as a corporate architect, Tinker Hatfield already had the pedigree of a sneaker designer - primarily that he was a successful track athlete at Oregon under Bill Bowerman. But it wasn't until 1985 that switched from buildings to sneakers. He brought some of his architectural training into sneaker design, and it's those principles, even moreso than his designs themselves, that would go on to change the most basic elements of footwear design.
Georgetown Debuts the Terminator
Date: 1985
Right around the same time as they developed the Air Jordan, Nike's basketball people had another idea: What if they put all of their premier NCAA teams in different colors of the same new shoe? The sneaker would be called the Dunk, and the "Be True To Your School" campaign was born. All was good, except for one thing. Georgetown University wanted more. Coached by former Celtic John Thompson, the Hoyas had built up a unique mystique - and a powerful program. Instead of Dunks, they received grey and navy shoes that were a cross between the Legend and the Big Nike. The Terminator had arrived.
The Nike Air Jordan is Released
Date: 4/1/1985
Now this is how you build anticipation. The Air Jordan was designed on September 15, 1984, and debuted by Michael Jordan in a pre-season game a little over a month later. He wore the Nike Air Ship quite a bit as a rookie, but was fully transitioned into Air Jordan by the time the All-Star Game and Dunk Contest rolled around on the weekend of February 10th. The sneakers released at retail on April 1, and by then, the frenzy was at its peak. Air Jordan sold $100 million in its first year.
Michael Jordan Scores 63 Points in Boston in the NBA Playoffs
Date: 4/20/1986
Michael Jordan was a phenomenon the moment he set foot on an NBA court - it took all of three games for him to crack the 35-point mark, and he ran away with Rookie of the Year honors. Then, three games into his second season, catastrophe - broken foot. Jordan would miss most of the '85-96 season before coming back (against the front office's recommendations) for a short stint before facing the top-seeded Celtics in the playoffs. Jordan dropped 49 in the first game, then trumped it with a mind-blowing 63 in Game Two - in Boston Garden, no less. Larry Bird called him "God disguised as Michael Jordan," and man, did God have nice shoes.
Run DMC Releases "My Adidas"
Date: 5/29/1986
Before they had a sneaker deal - probably even before they had a record deal - Run DMC knew what it took to be fresh. Namely leather jackets, Lee jeans, proper hats and shelltoe adidas. Laces optional. So when they recorded "My Adidas" in '86, and released it as a single, it was just making known what they believed all along. The big-money deal to follow was just icing on the cake.
"The Search For Animal Chin" Releases
Date: 1987
In 1987, skateboard videos weren't exactly part of the mainstream yet. Skating was, much like rap, still on the outside looking in. But any budding sneakerhead would have been transfixed by the Bones Brigade's "The Search For Animal Chin." Not by the plot, which was ridiculous, or by the "acting," which was atrocious, or even by the skating, which was - for the time, especially - incredible. But by the shoes. Without sneaker sponsors, the Brigade turned to what was cheap - which happened to be original Air Jordans, which, even two years after their initial release, were still readily available. Try and watch Lance Mountain now - shredding in one Carolina Blue and one Black/Royal - and try not to cringe.
Michael Jordan Wins the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest
Date: 2/6/1988
It wasn't the first NBA slam-dunk contest, but it may very well have been the best. Michael Jordan, in his home arena, defending his title against a very determined Dominique Wilkins, both in their respective primes. It also marked the on-court debut of the all-new Tinker Hatfield designed Air Jordan III, which would also be the centerpiece of a new series of ads starring (and directed by) a young Brooklyn filmmaker by the name of Spike Lee. The contest's results weren't scripted - although 'Nique might think otherwise - but that whole weekend was a movie.
Biz Markie Releases "Goin' Off"
Date: 2/23/1988
Get the record. Flip it over. There's Biz Markie along with Cool V, in velour sweatsuited finery, Dapper Dan on the head, Air Safaris on the feet. This is the iconic image when it comes to the Tinker Hatfield designed Air Safari, and this is where the whole "hip-hop as fashion" thing kicked into another gear. Or maybe that's the hindsight talking. Regardless, it's an important bit of the culture now.
Vans Signs Steve Caballero
Date: 1988
There was a dark time in skateboarding during the '80s. Vans had run into financial troubles and Airwalk/Etnies/et al didn't exist yet, so even the most well-known professional skateboarders were scrapping for footwear. So when a re-structured Vans signed Steve Caballero to a proper endorsement deal, this was big. Less than a year later they released the Caballero hightop, and a few years after that the prevalence of street skating led to some enterprising soul to cut down his Caballeros into what would become the "Half Cab."
Michael Jordan Hits "The Shot"
Date: 5/7/1989
Poor Craig Ehlo. Poor Cleveland Cavaliers. If you were a defensive-minded two guard in the Central Division during the Jordan era, you had two choices. Well make that three: you could put him on his ass (and on the line), you could hope your help defenders were really good, or you could lose. Craig Ehlo lost, but you have to give the guy credit for trying. The Air Jordan IV couldn't have gotten any better non-commercial publicity. Well, not for another month and a half, anyway.
"Do The Right Thing" Is Released
Date: 6/30/1989
Pretty much everything that sums up the plight of the sneaker wearer can be summed up by the Air Jordan scene in Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing, Spike was already doing Air Jordan commercials by that point - and the original Air Jordan played a prominent role in his first movie, She's Gotta Have It, so by 1989 he had this down. When it released in 1989, Do The Right Thing's Buggin' Out spoke for many, even through facial expressions alone.
"Back To The Future Part II" Is Released
Date: 11/22/1989
Compared to its predecessor, Back to the Future Part II was terrible. It involved Marty McFly, the misfit hero of the original movie, having to travel in time again, this time to the future, and then back into the past in order to correct a horrific, history-changing wrong. (No, not the filming of the third - and worst - movie.) The real star of the movie wasn't Michael J. Fox or the preternaturally wizened Christopher Lloyd, but the self-lacing 2015 Nike Air MAG, designed by Nike whiz Tinker Hatfield. Fortunately, sneakerheads wouldn't have to wait until 2015 for a release, but it was close.
"Your Sneakers or Your Life" Covers Sports Illustrated
Date: 5/14/1990
It's absolutely tragic that people are still getting robbed for - and killed over - their sneakers in 2013, but it's hard to fault the media for sweeping the epidemic under the rug. Sports Illustrated literally covered it on their May 14 issue in 1990, with an illustration featuring a gun and what is clearly meant to be a pair of Air Jordan Vs. Michael Eugene Thomas, murdered for his sneakers on May 15, 1989, would have turned 39 this year. Haven't we had to read this story enough times by now? Apparently not.
Dee Brown Pumps Up
Date: 2/9/1991
If the Reebok Pump had one product-defining moment, this was it - sorry, Michael Chang. Dee Brown's pausing to pump up his Omni Lites before defeating Shawn Kemp in a hard-fought 1991 final became a touchstone moment, and one that would be spoofed a little over a year later in White Men Can't Jump. Brown's NBA career probably peaked that year - his rookie season - but many a player should wish for a peak so high.
Bobbito's "Confessions of a Sneaker Addict" Runs in The Source
Date: May 1991
Sneaker connoisseur literature started here. Bobbito penned two pages for The Source on his obsession, planting the seed that would eventually become "Where'd You Get Those?" and pretty much the whole damn sneaker "culture," period. If you haven't already, read it. And if you have read it, read it again. Forget that - print it out and pin it to your wall.
The Fab Five Starts For Michigan
Date: 2/9/1992
Hard to believe though it may be, the "Fab Five" freshman class of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King didn't start from day one. Not that this should have come as a total surprise - Michigan was a big-time program with plenty of big-time recruits who'd won the national championship in 1989. But the freshman takeover was all but inevitable from the moment they arrived in Ann Arbor. So on February 9th, when they finally got the chance to start together, they scored all the team's points vs. Notre Dame. College basketball - and on-court style - wouldn't be the same again.
Nike Releases the First Retro Air Jordan
Date: 1994
There is no exact date, because there wasn't such a focus on release dates back then. Also, the initial run of Air Jordan retros didn't sell out on their release date. Or during the release week. Or ever. They just sat there, and sat there, and sat there. MJ was retired, and apparently no one cared. In what was a near-replay of the second run of original Air Jordans, retros wound up on clearance racks for as little as $20. Given what they're selling for now, this would have been one of the best investments of the '90s.
Michael Jordan Debuts the Air Jordan XI
Date: 5/7/1995
Nick Anderson was right about one thing - No. 45 wasn't the same guy as No. 23. And, as it turned out, even a switch back to his more familiar number wouldn't be enough to get Jordan's Bulls past Anderson's Magic in the 1995 NBA Playoffs. But Jordan had made another switch before the series even started, going from the Air Jordan X which he'd worn throughout the season and first round of the playoffs to the yet-unseen patent leather accented Air Jordan XI. Suffice it to say that sneaker blogs, had they existed, would have gone nuts. And maybe - just maybe - the black/royal Air Jordan XIs that he wore in Game Four (after inexplicably wearing Penny Hardaway's Air Flight Ones in Game Three) would be known as "Nick Andersons."
eBay Is Founded
Date: 9/3/1995
Used to be that in order to cop deadstock sneakers you had to either be a digger (I.E. someone who got permission to go through the basement of old sporting goods stores) or at least know one. eBay changed all that. All of a sudden sneakers from every era - and in any condition - were just a click of the mouse away. Things haven't been the same since.
Allen Iverson Signs with Reebok
Date: 1996
Yes, Reebok already had Shaquille O'Neal and Shawn Kemp on their roster, but signing Allen Iverson was what set their direction for the next two decades. RBK doesn't happen without Allen Iverson. S. Carter and G Unit doesn't happen without Allen Iverson. Swizz Beatz doesn't happen without Allen Iverson. This was bigger than big.
Reebok Releases the Question
Date: 1996
It should have come as a surprise to absolutely no one that the Reebok Question, Allen Iverson's first signature sneaker, owed a bit of a design debt to the Air Jordan XI. After all, Iverson wore the XIs at Georgetown, and always proclaimed his Jordan allegiance. But the Question's appeal was broader, the look less elegant and more street. Reebok was, to coin a phrase, back.
Jordan Brand Officially Splits from Nike
Date: 1997
It was a long time coming, to be honest. David Falk had envisioned a Jordan brand when he first negotiated with Nike, and the first year's sale numbers showed it was a viable proposition. But things generally don't work that fast, and by 1997, Michael Jordan had already retired and come back once, and Nike had already started retroing his older product. An all-new silver box with the Jumpman on top was all the announcement they needed.
SLAM Presents KICKS
Date: August 1998
It seemed like a good idea at the time - what about an entire magazine dedicated to sneakers? Nike came on board as the single sponsor, and then-editor Tony Gervino and I winged our way out to Beaverton, Oregon for "research." Now this was a job. We covered the ads, the designers, and most of all the shoes. And that summer, we found ourselves in Chicago for an appointment with Michael Jordan. Looking back, the only question is this - why an annual?
The And1 Mixtape Drops
Date: 1999
And1 had been a brand for over half a decade before they decided to release a grainy VHS mixtape featuring the streetball exploits of then NYC high schooler Rafer "Skip To My Lou" Alston embarassing all comers. They already had Stephon Marbury wearing their sneakers, but the Mixtape is what really put And1 on the map. There were inevitable sequels, but none could even equal the original.
NIKEiD Offers Its First Shoe
Date: 1999
Nike wasn't first. Vans had offered custom shoes from almost the beginning, allowing customers to not only provide their own materials, but build the left and right shoe entirely separately. But when Nike did something, it was bigger somehow. And in the late '90s, when the idea of a "one of one" was as exclusive as it got, offering that option to the masses was huge.
Niketalk Starts
Date: 12/10/1999
Until Niketalk flashed black in the winter of 1999, sneaker talk on the internet was limited to chat rooms and e-mails, maybe the message boards of various obscure sites. What Niketalk did was bring all those people together in what was essentially a crowdsourced blog, which quickly became the place to go for sneak peeks at weartest samples, confirmation of release dates, and displays of rarely seen vintage heat. A decade and a half - and countless blogs - later, it still is.
Vince Carter Jumps Over Frederic Weis in the Olympics
Date: 9/25/2000
"He jumped OVER his HEAD!" Doug Collins was known for his histrionics both as an announcer and as a coach, but no one could fault him for his reaction here. The year 2000 belonged almost entirely to Vince Carter, and his international Nike Shox commercial (co-starring French center and Knicks draftee Frederic Weis) was one for the ages. Wait, that wasn't a commercial?
The First Issue of Sneaker Freaker Is Published
Date: 11/27/2002
A print magazine strictly about sneakers? All Simon Wood really wanted was free kicks. In starting Sneaker Freaker, he got - and gave - so much more. Over a decade and still going strong, Sneaker Freaker still has a place, even in the immediate gratification blog era. This is no small accomplishment.
The H-Town Sneaker Summit Is Founded
Date: December 2003
It may not have been the very first (Fresh Out The Box in NYC), but the H-Town Sneaker Summit grew in leaps and bounds and became the biggest sneaker gathering known to man. Held bi-annually, it anchored NBA All-Star weekend this year and continues to attract both new heads and the heaviest of heavy hitters in the sneaker community.
Nike Releases the Second "Artist's Series" Collection
Date: 1/3/2004
This was after the initial Nike SB launch and before things got completely out of hand. The second in Nike's artist series featured the N*E*R*D Dunk High by Pharrell and an absurd Air Force II with clear panels (and complementary socks) by acclaimed NYC artist ESPO. (There was also, inexplicably, a Halle Berry Air Rift which we doubt even Halle remembers.) It's worth noting both for the edgy collab, as well as the speed which they left shelves. The roots of Twitter RSVPs and raffles go deep.
Fat Joe Licks the Soles of His Sneakers on "MTV Cribs"
Date: 2004
This wouldn't have been so bad had everyone in the world simply said "ew" and gotten on with their lives. But no. Fat Joe licked the soles of his original Air Jordan VII "Olympics" (which were selling for $5,000 on "the eBay") and next thing you know there are 185,635,432 photos of people licking (or at least pretending to lick) their sneakers all over the Internet. Thanks a lot, Mr. Cartagena.
The Nike SB "Pigeon" Dunk Releases
Date: 2/22/2005
There were lineups and scuffles at sneaker releases before the Jeff Staple designed "Pigeon" Dunk SBs dropped at NYC's Reed Space, but there weren't any that made front-page news in New York's finest tabloids. This is why we can't have nice things.
Flight Club Opens in NYC
Date: April 2006
Shops with rows upon rows of Saran-wrapped classic sneakers were common enough in Japan, but until NYC's Flight Club opened in April of 2006, they didn't exist in the U.S.. Now it's hard to imagine a time when they didn't. Similar stores have popped up around the country - RIF in L.A., ATC in Miami - but you have to respect the originators.
Kanye West Debuts the Air Yeezy at the Grammys
Date: 2/10/2008
Sneaker debuts traditionally took place on the basketball court, where the game's best players added their narrartive to the existing design story, making what was already desirable completely irresistable. But "performance shoes" took on something of a new meaning the night of the 50th Grammy Awards, as Kanye West took to the stage in a pair of as-of-yet-unseen Nikes. These were the first Yeezys, and people would wind up seeing plenty about them.
Harputs Closes
Date: October 2009
One of the last of the old-style sneaker stores, San Francisco's Harputs had been the go-to spot for adidas since it first opened (in Oakland) in 1978. People literally came from around the world to pay homage, and its vintage stock was second to none. There's still a Harputs in SF - Harputs OWN - but the focus is on fashion and design, and for the old heads, it just isn't the same.
Instagram Founded
Date: 10/6/2010
Used to be that on-foot sneaker shots and outfit selfies were limited to forums like Nike Talk. No more. When Instagram was founded in 2010, little did the creators know it would soon be filled with pithy quotes, cute puppies and sneakers - not necessarily in that order. Face it, if you have a phone, what function would you be more upset at losing, phone calls or Instagram? Exactly.
Nike Releases the Air MAG At Auction
Date: 9/8/2011
Sneakerheads had been waiting for a release of the Tinker Hatfield designed Air MAG for a long time - over a dozen years, to be exact. So when Nike released a limited run of Marty McFly's kicks via eBay in conjunction with Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's foundation, the bidding was predictably frenzied. In the end, everyone was happy. The foundation earned money, sneakerheads copped their grails, and Biff didn't have George killed so he could marry Lorraine. Just get the Power Laces working by the time they see a wider release, huh?