{"id":313761,"date":"2013-07-17T14:48:59","date_gmt":"2013-07-17T19:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=313761"},"modified":"2022-09-16T17:01:57","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T22:01:57","slug":"20-most-uniquely-designed-basketball-shoes-ever-created","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/20-most-uniquely-designed-basketball-shoes-ever-created\/","title":{"rendered":"Weird Wins: 20 of the Most Unique Basketball Sneaker Designs"},"content":{"rendered":"
Over the years, we’ve witnessed the success of some incredible, simplistic silhouettes from powerhouse brands that are easy to fall in love with or hate at first sight. On the contrary, there are multiple silhouettes that are so far from the norm, we either grow to love them, hate them or learn to accept their unique qualities. How did you feel when you first saw the Foamposite One? What were the first words out of your mouth after seeing the Reebok Shaqnosis? Check out 20 of the most unique basketball designs ever conceived<\/strong>, and find out why each silhouette is, well, different.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s see \u2013 a green haired, inked up basketball player wearing #91 and only going for rebounds. That\u2019s pretty distinctive, right? Yes, and so was Dennis Rodman\u2019s signature Air Shake NDestrukt. This bizarre design adopted the side-lacing system and featured an oversized Swoosh on the in-step atop a ribbed upper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although now labeled a classic, the Nike Air Flight Huarache was not appealing to the eye for most, including Fab Five member Juwan Howard, when it first showed its face in 1992. Let\u2019s be honest \u2013 it\u2019s not your prototypical silhouette. Created by Tinker Hatfield, the Huarache\u2019s design is very unconventional and is inspired by a Mayan sandal. The shoe’s original color scheme of white, purple, blue and black was also just as far-out as the silhouette at the time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Reebok <\/p>\n It\u2019s safe to say adidas experimented a lot on Kobe\u2019s short-lived signature line. To this day, the daring adidas Kobe designs are still some of the most coveted basketball silhouettes ever created. Enter in the adidas EQT Elevation. Distinct elements on the shoe, such as the enlarged emblem on the ankle, reflective stripes and the outsole (which gravitates halfway up the side), come together to form a incomparable piece of art.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s where a nickname goes further than expected. Nike and Gary Payton took GP\u2019s nickname literally on one of the most popular and extraordinary silhouettes ever created. The shoe is highlighted by its zip-up design, which covers the shoe lacing system. A year ago, Gary Payton told us that he himself played a big part in this creation and was inspired by the leather baseball gloves that secure one’s hand with a zipper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Nike Zoom Kobe III is one of the most slept on signature basketball shoes in recent memory. It was extremely responsive, stable and supportive on court, but its upper was the most talked-about characteristic of this shoe no matter how great it was performance-wise. Its honeycomb-like, injected urethane upper formed the net shape of the wearer\u2019s foot and made for a very\u00a0anomalous look.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Any shoe that draws inspiration from a molded sunglass case and takes over three years to create deserves to hold down a spot on this list. The distinctiveness of the Foamposite was not widely accepted when it first released because it was truly ahead of its time. Its seamless fluid structure, created by a poured PU envelope, resulted in one of the most unorthodox creations ever.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some of the most peculiar designs in sneaker history drew inspiration from the most expensive cars ever created. The adidas Kobe I was designed with the Audi TT Roadster in mind. The simple yet extremely striking design is still one of the most inimitable designs to ever hit the court and was seen in a few subtle yet appealing color schemes, such as the all-silver pair and the special mesh makeup.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In similar fashion to the Reebok Shaqnosis, the notably aggressive design on the shoe’s upper makes the Kamikaze II a can\u2019t-miss silhouette. The shoe also features the popular Reebok Hexalite cushioning in both the heel and forefoot, making the shoe noteworthy in style and support.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Imagine The Big Fundamental playing in one of the strangest designs from the Nike Basketball camp. You don\u2019t have to imagine anymore because it actually happened. Tim Duncan\u2019s first signature shoe, the Nike Air Duncan, featured an unprecedented rubber overlay that expands from the toe area to the midfoot. It was incorporated to pay tribute to Duncan\u2019s first competitive sport: swimming.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Under Armour Charge BB is one of the most polarizing shoes that we’ve seen in recent memory. It’s either a love or hate silhouette, and whether you’re a fan of it or not, its aesthetics are defined by function. Synthetic materials and Under Armour’s HeatGear make up the construction of the shoe, but it’s unmatched tongue and ankle are the components that really dominate the shoe from a visual standpoint.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anytime mastermind Tinker Hatfield describes a shoe as being extremely difficult to design and one of the most tested, there has<\/em> to be something exceptional about it. The Air Jordan XX8 is made with materials that people usually don\u2019t associate with basketball. The upper is comprised of a Swiss fabric, Schoeller mesh, and it’s completed with a protruded, piston-type underfoot. Not to mention, it is the highest cut Air Jordan ever created. It’s just different.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sure, the Nike Air Bakin\u2019 is easily one of the most controversial shoes ever created, but that shouldn\u2019t take away from it being one of the most unique and recognizable shoes in Nike Basketball\u2019s history. The wave-like attribute that adorns the entire upper is reminiscent to the Reebok Shaqnosis, and the colorways it released in, such as the black, red and yellow pair, further played into this shoe’s personality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Nike Air Baja was marketed as a do-it-all shoe. The removable insole allowed it to be a basketball shoe, a basketball sandal and a basketball boot. Although it featured a 3-in-1 functionality, one could obviously use it for other purposes. Just ask Nick Young.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before Fighter Jet Foams, there was a fighter jet Air Jordan. The Air Jordan XV, arguably the most uncommon shoes in MJ\u2019s signature line, drew inspiration from an X-15 fighter jet developed by NASA during the 1950s. One of the most peculiar attributes of MJ\u2019s 15th signature shoe was the tongue, which stuck out parallel to the bottom of the shoe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Any shoe that comes with an instruction manual on how to properly wear it is, in every sense, unique. The Nike Air Unlimited is equipped with four straps: dual cross straps across the midfoot, one ankle strap and one heel strap. The aforementioned instruction booklet was included to inform the wearer on how to rock the shoe and in what order to lace and strap up. Is that too much for a simple, quick game of pickup ball? No, not if you have a chance to put 71 points on the scoreboard.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Nike Zoom Flight 95, Jason Kidd\u2019s signature, was groundbreaking in many ways – namely it being one of the first shoes to incorporate Nike Zoom technology. However, its outer elements make it an ever-recognizable shoe. The bug eyes set it apart from any other shoe (still does) and the extensive use of carbon fiber was extremely attractive on the original version.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Flightposite III is assuredly the least talked about of the ‘Posite family, and it’s also arguably the most discrete. Its extremely oversized pods, or bug eyes if you will, make the previously mentioned Nike Zoom Flight 95’s pods look like little mosquito eyes. The enlarged pods are really the only factor that distinctively sets this shoe apart, but it’s one that you can’t miss from a mile away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While the Kobe I took cues from Audi\u2019s TT Roadster, adidas switched their focus to a convertible Lamborghini for the Kobe II. This particular design was even more simplistic than its predecessor and featured peculiar characteristics of its own, including the unparalleled collar.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The second David Robinson endorsed sneaker on this list shows up in the form of the Nike Air 2 Strong. Much like all of The Admiral’s shoes, the Air 2 Strong is a drastically high topped silhouette thanks to the high cut inner bootie. Some of its other abnormal attributes are the “Anti-Inversion” lateral\/medial velcro straps, an Air Max2 CB-esque midsole and a unique, finger-print-like design on the outsole.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Over the years, we’ve witnessed the success of some incredible, simplistic silhouettes from powerhouse brands that are easy to fall in love with or hate at first sight. On the contrary, there are multiple silhouettes that are so far from the norm, we either grow to love them, hate them or learn to accept their unique qualities. How did you feel when you first saw the Foamposite One? What were the first words out of your mouth after seeing the Reebok Shaqnosis? Check out 20 of the most unique basketball designs ever conceived, and find out why each silhouette is, well, different.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":314469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[618],"tags":[1225537],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNike Air Shake Ndestrukt<\/h3>\n
Nike Air Flight Huarache<\/h3>\n
Reebok Shaqnosis<\/h3>\n
Hypnosis<\/del> Shaqnosis is undoubtedly an acquired taste. To some, it\u2019s a simple design, but to others, it\u2019s intensely busy. The futuristic, black and white spiral design makes it one of the most definable and recognizable shoes to ever hit the court (Shaq\u2019s shoe size obviously also helped in making this silo a can\u2019t-miss on court as well).<\/p>\nadidas EQT Elevation<\/h3>\n
Nike Zoom Flight ’98 ‘The Glove’<\/h3>\n
Nike Zoom Kobe III<\/h3>\n
Nike Air Foamposite One<\/h3>\n
adidas The Kobe<\/h3>\n
Reebok Kamikaze II<\/h3>\n
Nike Air Duncan<\/h3>\n
Under Armour Charge BB<\/h3>\n
Air Jordan XX8<\/h3>\n
Nike Air Bakin’<\/h3>\n
Nike Air Baja<\/h3>\n
Air Jordan XV<\/h3>\n
Nike Air Unlimited<\/h3>\n
Nike Zoom Flight ’95<\/h3>\n
Nike Flightposite III<\/h3>\n
adidas The Kobe 2<\/h3>\n
Nike Air 2 Strong<\/h3>\n